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2 weeks ago | 
nolo.com | Melora Garrison
Workplace knee injuries can be caused by anything from a one-time accident to repetitive stress over time, and can affect anyone from a nurse moving a patient to a delivery driver lifting heavy packages. Because a knee injury can make it difficult to walk, much less lift or carry objects, employees who sustain knee injuries are often unable to work for long periods of time.
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1 month ago | 
nolo.com | Melora Garrison
Workplace shoulder injuries can be caused by anything from a slip-and-fall accident in an office to repetitive overhead motions like painting or hammering during a construction job. Because a shoulder injury can make it difficult to reach, lift, carry objects, or even type, employees who sustain shoulder injuries are often unable to work for long periods of time. Severe shoulder injuries can require surgeries such as rotator cuff surgery or shoulder arthroscopy.
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1 month ago | 
nolo.com | Melora Garrison
In recent years, "captive audience" laws have emerged as a significant battleground in American labor relations. These laws address a common workplace dynamic where employers require employees to attend meetings about unionization, politics, or religious matters without allowing them to leave or express opposing views. Several states have passed laws prohibiting such meetings.
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2 months ago | 
nolo.com | Melora Garrison
Workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs have become increasingly controversial in recent years, with some employers rolling back their DEI initiatives due to increased scrutiny and others maintaining that DEI is essential to their business success. But what does the law say about DEI? Recent social and political debates aside, well-designed DEI programs have long been legal under federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.
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Sep 25, 2024 | 
fodors.com | Melora Garrison
It’s part of a larger battle that could permanently alter tourism in the Golden State. With over 1,000 miles of coastline, California boasts a seemingly endless array of stunning public beaches. But if you’ve spent any time on the California coast in recent years, you can tell that something’s changing. Rent a beachfront vacation home in Oceanside, just north of San Diego, and you’ll find the yard full of giant boulders—and no beach.
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Sep 22, 2024 | 
fodors.com | Melora Garrison
From luxury hotels to a hipster café, these picturesque spots were once home to cults and controversial new-age churches. California and cults—it’s definitely a thing. Theories abound as to why so many cults have been drawn to the Golden State. Was it the lack of established religion during California’s early days? The presence of hippies and Hollywood celebrities willing to buy what cults were selling? Or maybe it was simply what’s always brought people to California: the weather.
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Jul 30, 2024 | 
nolo.com | Melora Garrison
Under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), California employees have long been able to file lawsuits against their employers on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the state for a wide range of labor and employment law violations. But the law, enacted in 2004, was always controversial. On the one hand, PAGA empowered employees to act as private attorneys general to pursue penalties without having to rely on state enforcement of labor laws.
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Apr 30, 2024 | 
nolo.com | Melora Garrison
From toxic bosses and impossible deadlines to traumatic events like workplace shootings, your job can be hard on your mental health. While all work-related mental health issues deserve to be taken seriously, not all are covered by workers' compensation laws. As a general rule, workers' comp allows employees to recover lost income and medical expenses when they suffer an injury or illness stemming from their job.
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Jan 2, 2024 | 
alllaw.com | Melora Garrison
While there's no question that it's legal to smoke marijuana in California, the law gets a bit more complicated when it comes to your job. Employment in California is "at will," so employers can fire you for virtually any reason other than discrimination. Historically, that's meant that not only could you be fired for smoking marijuana on the job, you could even be fired for smoking at home during your time off. Recent changes to the law partially reverse this rule.
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Oct 31, 2023 | 
nolo.com | Melora Garrison
Remote work has well-recognized benefits (no commute) and drawbacks (disappearing boundaries between personal and professional life), but one little-commented side effect of the "WFH" lifestyle is the cost associated with being at home throughout the work week. From skyrocketing utility payments to additional costs for phone and internet use, many remote workers are now shouldering the expenses that their employers used to pay.
