The Workplace: a Podcast by CalChamber

Episode 8: Labor Law Helpline: What’s Your Question?

California’s complex employment laws prompted 22,000 calls to the CalChamber Labor Law Helpline in 2018. On the latest episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber President Allan Zaremberg and Erika Frank, CalChamber Executive Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel, discuss the most frequently asked questions—a good indicator of the compliance issues that are the most challenging for California businesses.

Episode 7: Taxes, Taxes and More Taxes

Even though California is enjoying its ninth straight year of economic growth and the state has a solid budget surplus and a brimming Rainy Day Fund, California legislators can’t seem to resist the temptation to raise taxes. This week on The Workplace, CalChamber President Allan Zaremberg and Loren Kaye, president of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, highlight just a handful of the more than $15 billion in new taxes policymakers are considering. On the list of possible items lawmakers would like to tax is everything from medicine to tires and businesses.

Episode 6: Men and #MeToo Movement

The latest episode of CalChamber’s The Workplace podcast focuses on men and the #MeToo movement. As more publicity is being given to instances of sexual harassment around the country, men have responded to news stories and other developments in a variety of ways. Some will no longer meet with female colleagues or socialize with women coworkers to protect themselves from the possibility of being wrongfully accused of harassment. Erika Frank, CalChamber Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel, is joined by Jennifer Shaw, President of the Shaw Law Group, to shed light on these issues and provide perspective on the #MeToo movement.

Episode 5: Legislative Changes Needed to Fix California Consumer Privacy Act

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a sweeping privacy law that applies to businesses of all sizes across almost every industry. In this episode of The Workplace, CalChamber President Allan Zaremberg is joined by CalChamber Executive Vice President Jennifer Barrera and Policy Advocate Sarah Boot to talk about the challenges of implementing the CCPA. The trio digs deep into the potential costs to both business and consumers posed by the CCPA as they discuss the many unworkable provisions of the law. They conclude the conversation with a discussion of needed legislative fixes before the CCPA goes into effect on January 1, 2020.

Episode 4: Say Cheese: Cameras In The Workplace, On-line Communication, and the Internet Test Bounds of Privacy

This episode of The Workplace explores new areas of concern and issues generated for employers by the prevalence of technology on the job site or in the office. Erika Frank, CalChamber executive vice president, legal affairs and general counsel, and Ellen Savage, HR adviser with CalChamber’s Labor Law Helpline, talk about what is private – and what is not – at work. The conversation provides both entertaining and helpful insight into the issue, particularly given the multitude of federal and state constitutional guarantees, limitations imposed by federal and state statutes, and case law.

Episode 3: California Leads Presidential Election Landscape in 2020

California voters have achieved a new milestone: the distinction of being an early presidential primary state due to the Legislature moving the date up three months from June to March 2020. Martin R. Wilson, CalChamber executive vice president, public affairs, is joined by Andrew Acosta, Acosta Consulting, and Steve Maviglio, principal of Forza Communications. The trio discusses how the early presidential primary will have a major impact on the California election cycle, accelerating all the traditional deadlines, such as candidate filings and contribution disclosures, as well as the imperative of building out the necessary infrastructure to wage a successful and expensive race for office.

Episode 2: Dynamex—The Elimination of Independent Contractors?

Welcome to The Workplace! The California Supreme Court’s April 2018 decision in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles completely changed the way in which an individual is classified as an independent contractor versus an employee in this state. CalChamber President Allan Zaremberg and Executive Vice President Jennifer Barrera review what the decision means for California employers and independent contractors. As they point out, without a legislative fix, the Dynamex decision could jeopardize work opportunities and income potential for millions of independent contractors.

Episode 1: Employers Lead the Charge: Preventing Sexual Harassment in the California Workplace

Welcome to The Workplace! Join Erika Frank, CalChamber executive vice president, legal affairs and general counsel, and CalChamber policy advocate Laura Curtis as they discuss sexual harassment in the workplace, the #MeToo movement and how to lead the charge in preventing harassment from happening in your office.