Employment Law and Labour Law

California's new Senate Bill 1316 creates a potentially case-dispositive evidentiary consequence for public works contractors beginning January 2027: failure to timely produce payroll, time, and employment records in response to labor commissioner requests may bar contractors from using those records to defend against civil wage and penalty assessments. The statute effectively transforms the investigation stage into a critical phase of hearing preparation, where a contractor's initial response to records re

California has delayed its restrictions on employment repayment agreements until 2027, giving employers more time to adapt while expanding exceptions for retention bonuses and certain financial services payments. What changes should employers anticipate, and how can they restructure their stay-or-pay provisions to comply with the modified framework?

On October 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2026-1, formally withdrawing three opinion letters that served as the foundation for the so-called “80/20 Rule” governing tipped employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The DOL also confirmed that its current enforcement guidance does not impose a percentage-based limit on the time a tipped employee may spend performing related, non-tip-producing duties. Instead, the inquiry focuses on whether the employee’s duties are related to the employee’s tipped occupation.