Adams Employment Law

07/17/2025

Do you work in an “always-on” culture? Checking emails before your shift starts, required to attend meetings that interrupt your daily flow, forcing unpaid overtime, or resuming your in-box checking after dinner on your personal phone?

While California has not yet enacted a “right-to-disconnect” law, you still have rights that your employer may be violating and we may be able to help!

* Wage and Hour Violations. Non-exempt (“hourly”) employees working off the clock – even voluntarily—can trigger wage claims, class actions, and penalties under the Fair Labor Standards Act and California’s wage and hour laws.

* Mental Health and Burnout. Constant connectivity can lead to stress-related claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Medical Leave Act, and the California Fair Employment & Housing Act, as well as workers’ compensation rules.

* Privacy Concerns. After-hours work on personal or unsecured devices increases the risk of data breaches and non-compliance with laws such as the California Privacy Rights Act.

* Discrimination and Equity Concerns. An always-on culture may disproportionately impact parents, caregivers, and alternatively empowered employees -raising potential claims of discrimination or failure to accommodate.

If these issues are impacting you, schedule a free consultation to discuss whether we can be of assistance. Give us a call today!

Reach our offices directly:
Santa Barbara 805-845-9630
Eureka 707-267-7027
San Diego 619-684-6230

05/21/2025

No Federal Tax on Tips passes!

The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to pass legislation that would eliminate the collection of federal taxes on tips, moving a step closer to fulfilling one of President Donald Trump’s key campaign promises.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the No Taxes on Tips Act earlier this year. Trump floated the proposal while stumping in Nevada during his 2024 presidential campaign, and the idea was quickly embraced by Democrats, too, including former Vice President and presidential contender Kamala Harris.

Democrats helped push the bill over the finish line Tuesday in a surprise move led by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), one of the measure’s co-sponsors. Republicans allowed Rosen to advance the bill through a unanimous consent agreement, where any lawmaker can go to the Senate floor and seek passage of legislation as long as no other senator lodges an in-person objection at that same time. Unanimous consent success rates are not high for major changes to the tax code, and the maneuver Tuesday took political observers by surprise.

“‘No taxes on tips’ was one of President Trump’s key promises to the American people,” Rosen said on the Senate floor. “And I am not afraid to embrace a good idea wherever it comes from. “
Cruz, in turn, praised Democrats for supporting the elimination of federal taxes on tips, which is expected to be part of the GOP’s party-line package of tax cuts and extensions, border security investments, energy policy and more.

“I’m proud of what the Senate just did, and I commend Democrats and Republicans even in a time of partisan division, coming together on a common-sense policy,” said Cruz. “I think that’s great for workers in all 50 states.”
Still, some tax experts panned the proposal, citing concern that it might overshadow more effective proposals for supporting tipped workers, who don’t typically pay high levels of federal income tax.

Progressive groups also warned that the bill’s benefits would pale in comparison to the help workers would receive if Congress were to, say, expand the child tax and earned income tax credits.

At the same time, some unions representing hospitality workers, which typically support Democrats, endorsed the idea as a way to help workers keep pace with the rising cost of living.

12/31/2024

The below are several employment laws that will take effect in California in 2025:

Minimum wage: The state minimum wage will increase to $16.50 per hour for all employers. Exempt employees will need to earn a minimum of $68,640 annually.

Agricultural employee sick leave: Agricultural employees can use paid sick leave to avoid working in conditions created by a local or state emergency, such as smoke, heat, or flooding.

Retaliation: The Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act (SB-497) creates a rebuttable presumption of retaliation if an employer takes action within 90 days of an employee's protected activity.

Captive audience meetings: SB 399 restricts employers' ability to hold mandatory captive audience meetings with employees.

Independent contractor requirements: New requirements will be in place for independent contractors.

Leave rights: Expanded leave rights will be available to victims of violence.

Whistleblower rights: Employers must update policies to reflect changes to whistleblower rights.

Driver's license requirements: Employers must update policies to reflect changes to driver's license requirements.

FEHA applicability: Employers must update policies to reflect changes to FEHA applicability.

If you have questions about how these new laws impact your employment, give us a call at 805-845-9630. We always offer free consultations.

05/21/2024

This video was produced by The Disaster Legal Assistance Collaborative (DLAC), in partnership with the California Employment Lawyer's Association (CELA) and ...

03/13/2023

Equal Pay Day is tomorrow, Tuesday March 14. The 2023 report by the Equal Rights Advocates indicates that the wage gap for U.S. women working full-time, year-round sits at 84 cents for every dollar paid to the average man. The gap is even worse for many women of color working full-time compared to the average white man: 67 cents for Black women, 65 cents for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women, and 57 cents for both Latina and Native American women. At this rate, the average American woman stands to lose nearly half a million dollars over the course of her working years.
The Equal Rights Advocates (“ERA”) have put together a social media toolkit for everyone to use, making it easy to show your support. Since 1974, the ERA has been fighting for gender justice in workplaces and schools across the country to protect and advance rights and opportunities for women, girls, and, more recently, people of all gender identities. You can find links to the toolkit and other instructions here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1unYMT-rdYx40bmbK5pH1luexxzrI708BzCKsqlPe8Ps/edit (copied below).

EQUAL PAY DAY TOOLKIT

March 14th, 2023 | National Social Media Storm 11am PST/2pm EST
Join advocates, lawmakers, and community members from across the country to raise awareness about the wage gap that impacts women and their families! For every $1 a man makes, women who work full-time, year-round earn on average only 84 cents. And for all earners (including part-time and part-year seasonal workers trying to piece together enough to get by) they only earn 77 cents on average as compared to men.

How to use this toolkit: Copy + paste sample social from our partner organizations to post on your own social media pages! Easily download graphics for the corresponding posts by clicking here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AxYE2h3P8ymseYbqiFXv_etabpVeoCCW

Please use the hashtag
Additional hashtags -
Tell Congress: It's beyond time for in our country. The will help end pay discrimination for women. Tell your Rep. to support this bill so women—especially women of color—are paid what they're owed! Use this link: https://actnow.io/1T9tIlM%20

02/16/2023

Starting January 1, 2023, the minimum wage is $15.50/hour for all employers in California.

Some cities and counties have higher minimum wages than the state’s rate. There is a list of City and County minimum wages in California maintained by UC Berkeley you can find here: https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/inventory-of-us-city-and-county-minimum-wage-ordinances/

If the City or County where you work adopted a higher minimum wage, you must be paid that higher wage.

If your employer has not increased your hourly wage to $15.50/hr, give us a call to see if we can assist you.

Across the country, cities and counties have become laboratories of policy innovation on labor standards. Before 2012, only five localities had minimum wage laws; currently, 56 counties and cities do. To help inform policymakers and other stakeholders, the UC Berkeley Labor Center is maintaining an....

12/08/2021

On Tuesday, November 30, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued a nationwide preliminary injunction halting implementation of the November 5, 2021 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services vaccine mandate (“CMS mandate”). The Court held, “Finding that the Government Defendants do not have the authority to implement the CMS Mandate, this Court GRANTS Plaintiff States’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction [Doc. No. 2] and IMMEDIATELY ENJOINS and RESTRAINS the Government Defendants from implementing the CMS Mandate.”

One week later on December 7, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued a nationwide preliminary injunction halting implementation of Executive Order 14042, requiring that contractors and subcontractors performing work on certain federal contracts ensure that their employees and others working in connection with the federal contracts be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, by no later than January 18, 2022. The Court held, “In this case, Plaintiffs will likely succeed in their claim that the President exceeded the authorization given to him by Congress through the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act when issuing Executive Order 14042.”

Notably, neither of these rulings prevent the ultimate enforcement of the federal mandates; that is a decision to be made in later proceedings. These rulings do, however, put a hold on implementation and enforcement of the vaccination mandates pending further legal action.

04/21/2020

The latest information on when you'll receive your CHECK:

If the IRS has your direct deposit information on file: the week ending April 17.
Paper checks for people with up to $10,000 in AGI: the week ending April 24.
Between $10,000 AGI and $20,000 AGI: the week ending May 1.
Between $20,000 AGI and $30,000 AGI: the week ending May 8.
Between $30,000 AGI and $40,000 AGI: the week ending May 15.
Between $40,000 AGI and $50,000 AGI: the week ending May 22.
Between $50,000 AGI and $60,000 AGI: the week ending May 29.
Between $60,000 AGI and $70,000 AGI: the week ending June 5.
Between $70,000 AGI and $80,000 AGI: the week ending June 12.
Between $80,000 AGI and $90,000 AGI: the week ending June 19.
Between $90,000 AGI and $100,000 AGI: the week ending June 26.
Between $100,000 AGI and $110,000 AGI: the week ending July 3.
Between $110,000 AGI and $120,000 AGI: the week ending July 10.
Between $120,000 AGI and $130,000 AGI: the week ending July 17.
Between $130,000 AGI and $140,000 AGI: the week ending July 24.
Between $140,000 AGI and $150,000 AGI: the week ending July 31.
Between $150,000 AGI and $160,000 AGI: the week ending Aug. 7.
Between $160,000 AGI and $170,000 AGI: the week ending Aug. 14.
Between $170,000 AGI and $180,000 AGI: the week ending Aug. 21.
Between $180,000 AGI and $190,000 AGI: the week ending Aug. 28.
Between $190,000 AGI and $198,000 AGI: the week ending Sept. 4.
All other checks (e.g., those who didn't have tax info on file): the week ending Sept. 11.

04/09/2020

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES NEW ACT GUIDANCE ON INSURANCE IN RESPONSE TO -19 CRISIS

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

04/06/2020

Coronavirus Relief Checks are reported to be coming via direct-deposit in a few days for eligible tax payers who have filed their 2019 or 2018 taxes and provided direct deposit information.

A married couple making less than $150k per year claiming 2 kids under age 17 should receive an automatic direct deposit of $3400.

Link to free Washington Post calculator and information:

Over 80 percent of American adults will receive a payment.

04/01/2020

-19 and Updates

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is a brand new program. The EDD will be working to serve unemployed Californians, including the self-employed.

For faster processing, read How to Set Up a UI Online Account (DE 2338H) (PDF) to help you apply for benefits. You can find the information here:https://www.edd.ca.gov/pdf_pub_ctr/de2338h.pdf

For help completing the application, call your local America’s Job Center of CaliforniaSM to schedule a phone appointment with an EDD representative. Contact information can be found here: https://www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/AmericanJobCenters/find-american-job-centers.aspx

It may take at least three weeks to process a claim for unemployment benefits and issue payment to most eligible workers, so act quickly.

CareerOneStop

03/22/2020

Helpful employee benefit information for those impacted by -19

State of California