News about Keller Grover, and current events in whistleblower & employment law

In a landmark decision this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a 1964 civil rights law clearly protects gay and transgender workers from LGBT workplace discrimination. The ruling makes it illegal for employers nationwide to fire workers for being gay, bisexual or transgender. Significantly, though such discrimination already was illegal in California (as well as in 21 other states), victims now can bring lawsuits in both state and federal court.  “Today, we must decide whether an … [Read more...]

The California AB5 law, the state’s new gig worker law, tried to help people, particularly Uber and Lyft drivers, who received few protections and no benefits because they were classified as independent contractors instead of employees. Now, state legislators are trying to improve A.B. 5 — which took effect Jan. 1 — to make allowances for other types of workers who rely on their independent status to make a living.  In June, the Assembly voted unanimously to advance bills that would exempt … [Read more...]

We’ve written a fair bit here about your privacy protections in California; the California Privacy Rights Act, a new item intended for the November ballot, could advance those cutting-edge protections even further. Californians for Consumer Privacy — the same group that backed the 2018 privacy legislation — has submitted more than 900,000 signatures to support putting the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) in front of voters. While an official announcement has yet to come out of the … [Read more...]

The coronavirus pandemic has created a quagmire of tough decisions for today’s workers, including when to report unsafe working conditions, and the landscape is about to shift again. Now, as states tentatively reopen their economies — California’s phased plan began May 8 (some localities were later) — both employers and employees have to figure out this new normal on the fly. But in the midst of the uncertainty, we can’t let companies take advantage of latitude they may be … [Read more...]

As the novel coronavirus pushes governments and businesses to extraordinary protection measures, seemingly overnight, a new victim may be emerging: privacy.  Such a concern may seem superfluous amid a pandemic that has claimed tens of thousands of U.S. lives, sickened more than half a million, and turned a booming economy on its head. But ignoring reasonable limits — and the potential ramifications — could sacrifice privacy rights in a way some say poses many risks. Smartphones, health … [Read more...]