Stay Ahead of the Curve

Health care workers in California can take a breath of fresh air. The California Department of Public Health announced that the statewide Covid-19 related mask mandates will expire on April 3, 2023.

Rulings on arbitration agreements continue to come thick and fast. Arbitration is a dispute resolution procedure where legal disputes are resolved by private arbitrators – typically retired judges – rather than in the public court system. Employers generally consider arbitration to be a more favorable forum for deciding disputes than litigating in court, though the costs to arbitrate are expensive.

A Plethora of New COVID Rule Abounds Public Health and Workplace Safety Officials at every level of government have been very busy crafting and issuing new rules and guidance for individuals and employers regarding which COVID-19 protections can be abandoned –and which should be kept–moving forward. Most of the new rules relax previous standards and regulations and some conflict with one another. This can be confusing for employers.

In a recent update on January 9, 2024, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has introduced changes to COVID-19 regulations, some of which directly impact Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Standards that remain in effect until February 3, 2025.

On June 29, 2022, the Los Angeles City Council approved a minimum wage increase for workers at covered healthcare facilities to $25.00/hour. Mayor Eric Garcetti signed this into law on July 8, 2022.

For the past year, the California Department of Public Health has mandated that all health care personnel in healthcare facilities be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they document that they have religious or medical grounds for an exemption.