 On July 23, Lauren Teukolsky chaired the California Lawyers Association's Annual Advanced Wage and Hour Conference. The conference was covered by Law360, which interviewed Ms. Teukolsky about AB 2155, a recent California law aimed at expanding the state’s forced arbitration exemptions to mirror federal law.
As the article explains, California has its own arbitration law, the California Arbitration Act (CAA). Before the new law went into place, the CAA lacked certain exemptions contained in the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). Specifically, the FAA excludes “transportation workers” from arbitration, as well as sexual harassment and assault claims. California law had no such exemptions. Law 360 quoted Ms. Teukolsky saying, “Generally speaking, California law is far more protective of employees than federal law. Oddly, the one place where that was not true was in our arbitration law." Governor Newsom recently signed AB 2155 was into law to close the loophole. It provides that exemptions to the FAA apply equally to the CAA. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2027. This means if arbitration agreements are covered by the CAA, transportation workers such as delivery drivers will be exempted from arbitration. Similarly, under the CAA, no sexual harassment or assault cases may be sent to arbitration. (The California Court of Appeal already reached this conclusion, holding the CAA was preempted to the extent it would require arbitration of sexual harassment or assault cases.) Ms. Teukolsky has represented workers for over two decades and her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, The Guardian, and the Los Angeles Times. To read the Law 360 article, click here. If you believe you’ve been treated unlawfully in the workplace and want to get in touch with our office, click here.
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 The Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed several new changes to wage and hour laws. The DOL published a proposed rule to restructure wage calculations for H1-B immigrant workers last month, raising their minimum wage and making it more costly for employers to sponsor entry-level workers.
In February, the DOL proposed a rule to rescind the 2024 Biden-era guidance on the classification of independent contractors. The rules return to the 2021-Trump-era rule, the “economic dependence” test, and lower the bar for workers to be classified as independent contractors. The test examines the opportunity for workers to earn profits or incur losses based on their initiative and the degree of control a worker exercises over their work. The DOL has also proposed rules that make it more difficult for employees to prove joint employer liability. The new rule narrowly defines a joint employer as any business which has “substantial direct and immediate control” over another employer’s workers. Employers that meet the joint employer criteria are potentially liable for unfair labor practices committed by the other companies and they have a duty to negotiate with a union representing the jointly employed workers. Under this narrow definition, workers will have a harder time proving that another company is jointly liable for federal bargaining obligations or for unfair labor practices. Lauren Teukolsky has represented workers for over two decades and her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. If you have a wage-and-hour issue and would like to speak with her, click here.  Lauren Teukolsky’s “Wage and Hour Case Notes” were published in the March 2026 edition of the California Labor and Employment Law Review. Her column describes recent decisions from California’s appellate courts that affect wage-and-hour law, including Lorenzo v. San Francisco Zen Center, in which the appeals court held that religious organizations are not exempt from California’s wage and hour laws.
The California Lawyers Association (CLA) is a voluntary statewide bar association. Ms. Teukolsky was recently appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of CLA’s Labor & Employment Section. Her three-year term started in October 2024. Ms. Teukolsky has written for CLA’s California Labor and Employment Law Review for over two years. Her “Wage and Hour Case Notes” are published every other quarter. Ms. Teukolsky has represented workers for over two decades, and her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. If you would like to speak with Ms. Teukolsky about a wage-and-hour matter, click here.  Starting January 1, 2026, California workers will be protected by several new laws. In Part 1 of our 2026 employment law update, we discuss three new laws that are set to take effect in the new year.
SB 648 makes tips and gratuities the sole property of the employee. Tips cannot be deducted, withheld, or taken from workers who earn them. The law also creates a new enforcement mechanism for the California labor commissioner to prosecute tip and gratuity claims. Previously, while the labor commissioner could investigate wage theft, they lacked the authority to issue direct citations for tip violations. Effective January 1, 2026, SB 648 closes this gap, allowing the labor commissioner to issue citations and file civil actions against employers for unlawful tip practices. SB 513 expands the definition of “personnel records” to include training documentation. California law already requires employers to provide employees with their personnel files on request. Historically, however, employers have not disclosed records of safety certification or specialized software training, making it difficult for workers to prove their qualifications to future employers. Now, employers are required to give a copy of all education and training documentation to employees upon request. The documents must include the trainer’s name, the duration of the training, and the "core competencies" gained. SB 617 strengthens the California WARN Act by requiring employers to disclose whether they plan to coordinate transition services to workers during mass layoffs or relocations. In their 60-day notice of an impending layoff, employers must include detailed information about CalFresh, specific contact info for local job centers, and detailed information regarding any efforts to coordinate job placement with local workforce boards. Stay tuned for part 2 of our series, which will discuss additional new laws going into effect in 2026. Lauren Teukolsky has represented workers for over two decades, and her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. If you believe you have a wage-and-hour claim, click here to get in touch with our office.  The California Court of Appeal recently issued a significant decision in Lorenzo v. San Francisco Zen Center, ruling that the "ministerial exception" does not shield religious organizations from minimum wage lawsuits. The case involved Annette Lorenzo, a former staff member at the San Francisco Sōtō Zen Buddhist church. Lorenzo performed religious duties, such as meditation and temple cleaning, but she also performed commercial work, including cooking, dishwashing, and serving guests. After leaving the church in 2019, she filed a claim alleging the Zen Center had illegally underpaid her for this commercial work.
The Zen Center argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed under the ministerial exception, a rule that protects churches from lawsuits that interfere with religious doctrine or the hiring of ministers. The Court of Appeal disagreed. The court reasoned that unlike wrongful termination cases, wage-and-hour claims do not force the court to intervene in a church's faith or internal doctrine. Since the Zen Center could not prove that paying staff minimum wage interfered with its religious mission, the court ruled in Lorenzo’s favor, allowing her wage claim to move forward. Lauren Teukolsky has represented workers for over two decades and her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. She is Co-Chair of the Amicus Committee of the California Employment Lawyers Association, which submitted an amicus brief in favor of Lorenzo’s argument that the ministerial exception did not bar her claim for wage-and-hour violations. If you believe you have a wage-and-hour claim, click here to get in touch with our office. Lauren Teukolsky is set to speak at the 2026 New Employment Law Practitioner Conference on Wage & Hour Basics. The virtual conference will take place on February 5-6, 2026 and is hosted by the California Lawyers Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section.
The conference is designed for new attorneys, professionals transitioning into labor or employment law, and HR practitioners. Attendees will receive practical and foundational guidance to help them confidently navigate the complexities of wage-and-hour rules and the broader field of employment law. Ms. Teukolsky has worked to protect employees’ rights for over two decades and speaks regularly at conferences on employment law. In the past year, Ms. Teukolsky spoke at the CLA Advanced Wage & Hour Conference on the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”); a conference at the Berkeley Law School on sexual harassment; and a LACBA symposium on PAGA. Her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. To register for the CLA Conference on February 5-6, 2026, click here. If you believe you’ve been treated unlawfully in the workplace and want to get in touch with our office, click here.  Lauren Teukolsky’s “Wage and Hour Case Notes” were published in the November 2025 edition of the California Labor and Employment Law Review. Her column describes recent decisions from California’s appellate courts that affect wage-and-hour law, including Iloff v. LaPaille, a California Supreme Court case that makes it easier for employees to prove minimum wage violations.
The California Lawyers Association (CLA) is a voluntary statewide bar association. Ms. Teukolsky was recently appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of CLA’s Labor & Employment Section. Her three-year term started in October 2024. Ms. Teukolsky has written for CLA’s California Labor and Employment Law Review for over two years. Her “Wage and Hour Case Notes” are published every other quarter. Ms. Teukolsky has represented workers for over two decades, and her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. If you would like to speak with Ms. Teukolsky about a wage-and-hour matter, click here. LAUREN TEUKOLSKY RECEIVES 2025 SERVICE AWARD FROM CALIFORNIA EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS ASSOCIATION10/27/2025 Lauren Teukolsky of Teukolsky Law, APC was recently honored with a 2025 Service Award by the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA). CELA selected Ms. Teukolsky based on her “leadership and service on numerous CELA Committees and dedication to the rights of working people.”
CELA is a statewide organization of more than 1,300 California attorneys who devote the majority of their practices to representing employees in individual and class action employment cases. CELA works to protect and expand the legal rights of workers through litigation, education, and advocacy. Ms. Teukolsky has more than 20 years of experience litigating employment cases. She has been a CELA member since 2002. She served as Co-Chair of CELA’s Wage & Hour Committee from 2019-2021, and currently serves on the Amicus Committee. Her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. To learn more about Ms. Teukolsky, click here. If you believe you have been wrongfully terminated, harassed, or suffered from other unlawful workplace practices, click here to get in touch with our office. LA COUNTY METRO FAILS TO PAY ITS WORKERS FOR REQUIRED TIME SPENT WORKING ON PRE-SHIFT ACTIVITES8/6/2025  Johnny Johnson and Hugo Sipaque are suing their former employer, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), for failing to properly compensate hourly metro workers. The lawsuit alleges that LACMTA violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by requiring line instructors to be present 15 to 30 minutes before they clocked in for their scheduled shift.
The plaintiffs argue that if they didn’t show up early, they’d be in trouble. LACMTA allegedly enforced this requirement but failed to pay its line instructors for the time spent on pre-shift work on LACMTA premises. The lawsuit also alleges violations for failure to pay overtime wages because the additional time worked from pre-shift activities caused some employees to work more than 40 hours a week. LACMTA’s failure to compensate workers for all hours worked also causes them to produce inaccurate wage statements. Plaintiffs believe that a class of around 700 current and former employees all suffered similar violations while working for LACMTA in the past four years. They allege their claims amount to $26 million in damages. Lauren Teukolsky is an expert on wage-and-hour laws. She has written for the California Labor and Employment Law Review for over two years. Her “Wage and Hour Case Notes” are published on an alternating quarterly basis. Ms. Teukolsky has represented workers for over two decades and her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. If you would like to speak with Ms. Teukolsky about a wage-and-hour matter, click here.  Lauren Teukolsky’s “Wage and Hour Case Notes” were published in the July 2025 edition of the CLA California Labor and Employment Law Review. Her column describes four recent decisions from California’s appellate courts that affect wage-and-hour law, including Williams v. Alacrity Solutions, a PAGA case that will be reviewed by the California Supreme Court in coming months.
California Lawyers Association (CLA) is a voluntary statewide bar association. Ms. Teukolsky was recently appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of CLA’s Labor & Employment Section. Her three-year term started in October 2024. Ms. Teukolsky has written for CLA’s California Labor and Employment Law Review for over two years. Her “Wage and Hour Case Notes” are published on an alternating quarterly basis. Ms. Teukolsky has represented workers for over two decades and her commentary on the latest developments in employment law is regularly featured by major publications such as Bloomberg Law, Law360, Law.com, and the Los Angeles Times. If you would like to speak with Ms. Teukolsky about a wage-and-hour matter, click here. |
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Teukolsky Law, A Professional Corporation, represents clients throughout California. Ms. Teukolsky is admitted to practice in the State of California, as well as the United States Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Northern District of California and Central District of California. Disclaimer.
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