Forecasting New Labor and Employment Legislation in 2009

California and federal legislators are using President Obama's election and the nation's current depressed economic climate as support for a broad-sweeping employment law legislative agenda in 2009. Here in California, the state legislature is reviewing numerous pieces of legislation, once vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger, that he will hopefully sign due to political and economic pressure. The following is a list of the ten pieces of legislation you will likely see debated and enacted into law in the upcoming year that directly affect your businesses:

1. Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007
2. Equal Remedies Act/Civil Rights Act of 2008
3. Arbitration Fairness Act
4. Employee Misclassification and Prevention Act
5. Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
6. The Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA)
7. Medicinal Marijuana
8. Paid Sick Leave
9. Cal-WARN and WARN Act
10. Meal and Rest Period Regulations

This article appeared in the February 2009 issue of OC-ALA's Waves, published by the Orange County Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators.