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....