Posts in Employers
A New Hazard is Making Headlines: Quartz Countertops
A New Hazard is Making Headlines: Quartz Countertops

Approximately 2 million workers are exposed to silica from working with quartz countertops in their workplaces with the bulk of this group working in the construction industry. It is important for employers and employees to take extra precaution and perhaps look for more ways to protect employees that are specific to their work environment, work schedules, and workplace protective gear. In addition, it is important for employers and employees to keep an eye out for symptoms of silicosis: difficulty breathing, a long persistent cough, chest pain, back pain, muscle weakness, night sweats, fever, chest pain, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss.

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Employee, Employers, EmploymentKathleensilica, quartz countertop, quartz, silicosis, crystalline silica
Artificial Intelligence Results in Layoffs in San Francisco
Artificial Intelligence Results in Layoffs in San Francisco

A recent study in San Francisco showed that artificial intelligence may have impacted jobs in tech-exposed areas. The most shocking part is that the statistics show that college-educated workers were heavily affected. Perhaps, in this new era, a college degree will not and cannot provide job security. Artificial intelligence adds a new factor to the mix: what employees (regardless of education level) can be replaced by AI?

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Business Owners, Employee, Employers, Employment, Artificial IntelligenceKathleenartificial intelligence, AI, tech workers, tech exposed workers, San Francisco, Chat GPT, ChatGPT
New Bill Proposes a $25 Federal Minimum Wage
New Bill Proposes a $25 Federal Minimum Wage

A new bill is making waves since it was introduced on April 28 of this year because it seeks dramatically increase the federal minimum for the first time since 2009. The new bill is named the Living Wage for All act and it would require employers to pay a minimum wage of $25 per hour. The fact that some legislators are even considering a bill that would raise federal minimum wage so drastically from $7.25 an hour to $25 an hour may be of interest to some employers. If the federal minimum wage is increased, employers will have a bigger burden to shoulder- especially in those areas where the current federal minimum wage is in fact the prevailing wage.

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Business Owners, Employers, Employment, Minimum WageKathleenFederal minimum wage, minimum wage increase, minimum wage, $25 minimum wage
California Governor Orders 100,000 State Workers to Get Back to the Office.
California Governor Orders 100,000 State Workers to Get Back to the Office.

Governor Newsom has recently ordered approximately 108,000 state workers to return back to the office for at least four days out of the week. For many of these state workers, they have spent the better part of six years working from home. California was one of the first states to mandate a stay-at-home order, forcing workers to work from home beginning on March 19, 2020. Newsom’s recent order may signal a shift back to in-office work for private sector employees. For the past six years, employers have had time to contemplate which model works best for their businesses, and it will be interesting to see what employers decide to do in the coming years.

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Business Owners, Employee, Employers, EmploymentKathleenCovid-19, in-office, work at home, in-person, Service Employees International Union
Employers Beware: Hiring Undocumented Workers Can be MORE Costly for Your Business.
Employers Beware: Hiring Undocumented Workers Can be MORE Costly for Your Business.

San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings is a local Southern California company that was the subject of an undercover investigation and subsequent raid by ICE agents. This company regularly hired undocumented workers and was forced to forfeit nearly a quarter of a million dollars for doing so. The federal government is not just working off of anonymous tips or hunches. These federal agents are now posing as actual undocumented workers. Employers should take heed and be aware that hiring undocumented workers can be financially ruinous for their business.

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Business Owners, Employers, Employee, Employment, Foreign WorkersKathleenICE, ICE Agent, Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, John Washburn, San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings
Update: Los Angeles’ Citywide Hotel Minimum Wage Ordinance Is Already Having Disastrous Effects on the Local Economy
Update: Los Angeles’ Citywide Hotel Minimum Wage Ordinance Is Already Having Disastrous Effects on the Local Economy

The implementation of the City of Los Angeles’ Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance (“Ordinance”), which was adopted in May of 2025 and became effective in September of 2025, has already had disastrous effects in the first six months. Employers have been forced to cut costs and the hotel industry, its employees, and its partners are paying dearly for this implementation: they are paying with their entire livelihood. Instead of smaller, incremental, merit based hourly wage increases, the minimum wage mandate forced an entire industry and those who rely on this industry to absorb extraordinary increases in costs nearly overnight.

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Airport Workers, Bars, Employee, Employers, Employment, Hotel Workers, Minimum Wage, RestaurantsKathleenLos Angeles Hotel Worker, Los Angeles Airport Worker, Los Angeles Living Wage, Hotel Worker Minimum Wage