For at least another year and a half, California employers won’t be able to follow In-N-Out’s lead in banning workers from wearing masks on the job. The state’s COVID-19 workplace rules protecting workers’ rights to decide for themselves whether to wear face coverings are locked in at least until February 2025 and could be extended. […]
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What Stands Between You and a Four-day Week
It’s Thursday evening. You pack up your things at work and hit the road. Maybe you’re thinking about a lunch plan you’ve got with a friend or a show you plan to binge. But you’re not thinking about clocking in tomorrow: You’ve got a three-day weekend. All your weekends, in fact, are three-day weekends. It’s […]
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Cal State Says It Can’t Afford a Staff Wage Hike Even if Newsom OKs It
A last-minute bill that sailed through the Legislature may leave Cal State University on the hook for nearly $900 million in new costs over the next decade — possibly forcing it to raise tuition for only the second time in more than a decade. That “may” assumes lawmakers allot no new increases in university funding. […]
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A Silicon Valley Lawmaker Wants to Protect Workers from Employer Spying
Workers today are subject to more monitoring and tracking on the job — often without their knowledge — than ever before, advocates say. Various productivity applications, often on workers’ smartphones or other devices, track and predict delivery drivers’ and warehouse workers’ every move, collecting data on their location, speed, and accuracy in finishing orders, according to […]
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Six Things to Know About Omicron’s Risks on the Job
With 7 million Californians infected, how risky is it to work? When is it safe for omicron-infected workers to return? Look no further than your favorite restaurant, your kid’s school or your local hospital to see the effect of California’s latest bout of infections. Cases have skyrocketed since the holidays, reaching nearly 7 million people […]
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Will COVID Sick Leave Return to California?
Labor unions and their Democratic allies in the Legislature want to bring back extra paid sick leave for COVID-19. Gov. Gavin Newsom is also proposing to revive supplemental leave in his budget. But as with so much else in the pandemic, it’s not a simple proposition. There’s opposition from powerful business groups. And key details […]
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Here’s What’s Ahead for California Businesses in 2022
Clogged supply chains. Hiring struggles. New mask rules. A virus that trampled right over return-to-work schedules. Last year was chaotic for many businesses across California. What does 2022 hold? Layered on top of pandemic uncertainty is the question of what policymakers might do for — and to — businesses. “2022 is going to be a […]
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Child Care in California Hasn’t Rebounded — Why Many Workers Aren’t Coming Back
For Tonya Muhammad, who runs Lil Critters Family Daycare in Hawthorne, spring of 2020 was, in a word, “horrible.” The early rush on cleaning supplies meant that she and her husband had to criss-cross Los Angeles to find disinfectant, sourcing bottles of Lysol from a dental supply company and aloe vera from a local nursery […]
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HSU in Second Round of Student COVID Testing
Humboldt State University announced today that all students who moved onto campus have been tested for COVID-19 and a second round is underway. A total of six students have come back positive, including one who lives off-campus but opted to be tested at the Student Health Center, according to a news release. Results for 50 […]
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SFO First to Offer Employees Rapid COVID-19 Testing
San Francisco International Airport announced this week that it is the first in the nation to provide rapid COVID-19 testing for airport employees. The airport is one of two destinations for flights out of Humboldt. According to a news release, the program was launched in late July for flight crews, with results coming back in […]
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COVID-19 Economic Losses Continue to Mount
The economic losses of the COVID-19 induced shutdown continue to mount, with at least 270 more job losses in Humboldt County over the last week, according to an ongoing economic impact survey of local businesses conducted by the Office of Emergency Services. The 729 businesses that have responded report a total revenue loss of $30.2 […]