January 26 2022
by Shauna N. Correia
The Labor & Employment Law Blog
In the midst of the winter COVID-19 surge, Governor Newsom and California legislative leaders have agreed to fast-track a plan to provide emergency COVID-19 relief. As part of that package, another allotment of Paid Sick Leave for COVID-19 will once again be available to California workers.
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January 13 2022
by Ryan E. Abernethy
The Labor & Employment Law Blog
As Lizbeth West and James Kachmar wrote in previous blogs, here and here, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the stay of OSHA’s vaccine-or-test mandate that applies to employers with more than 100 employees. Challengers of the mandate sought immediate review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments in the matter on an expedited basis on January 7, 2022, and just published an opinion today lambasting OSHA’s vaccine mandate and staying its enforcement.
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December 14 2021
by Lizbeth (Beth) V. West
The Labor & Employment Law Blog
Due to the increase in COVID-19 infection numbers and the rising number of hospitalizations in recent weeks, the California Department of Public Health has issued a mandate requiring all individuals in California wear masks in all public indoor settings regardless of their vaccine status. The mandate is for a one month period from December 15, 2021 through January 15, 2022.
More information can be found at the CDPH website, here.
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October 12 2021
by Shauna N. Correia
The Labor & Employment Law Blog
Cal/OSHA has quietly made several updates to the FAQs for its COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). The additions shed additional light on, and in some regards revise previous guidance, relating to Isolation and Quarantine, Vaccines, and Exclusion Pay.
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September 20 2021
For those in the Sacramento area, you may have seen large “Destiny” signs overhanging State Route 65 north of Interstate 80. A news story last month suggested that this church is the place to go for COVID-19 vaccine exemption letters. Now that President Biden is planning to use the emergency powers of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to mandate vaccination for an estimated 100 million employees, the issue is even more prominent.
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September 13 2021
by Mark E. Ellinghouse
Over the last eighteen months, we have been forced to devote significant resources to interpreting how largely-forgotten legal doctrines apply to real estate contracts in a post-COVID world. These principles, including force majeure, frustration of purpose, and impossibility/impracticability, were generally overlooked in real estate transactions until life-altering global events required their use. Indeed, many of the cases interpreting these doctrines date back to the world wars that dominated the first half of the twentieth century.
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September 10 2021
by Shauna N. Correia
The Labor & Employment Law Blog
Earlier, President Joe Biden announced vaccination requirements for the federal government workers but allowed them to “opt out” if they agreed to more stringent mitigation measures. He also implored private sector employers to encourage vaccination, and many employers began implementing mandatory vaccination plans or incentivizing employees to get vaccinated.
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March 24 2020
by Meagan D. Bainbridge
The Labor & Employment Law Blog
As we told you on March 22, 2020, the Department of Treasury (DOT), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Department of Labor (DOL) announced plans to provide some relief for small and midsize employers in light of the recently passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). In their announcement, it was also stated that employers may make immediate use of their tax deposits to pay employees taking emergency leave under the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act (E-FMLA) or as Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (E-PSLA).
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March 24 2020
by Jim Clarke
As COVID-19 imposes challenges on our communities, Weintraub is tracking developments to help you deal with the pandemic’s business and legal implications.
I. SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans
A. Overview
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is providing low-interest working capital loans of up to $2 million to small businesses and nonprofits affected by COVID-19 in presidential and SBA-declared disaster areas. Borrowers can use the loans to cover accounts payable,
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