Your Post - July 1 To-Do List

Legislators and Regulators are constantly changing the landscape for California farm employers.  Here are a few things you should remember to do in July:

1. Make sure you're paying at least $9.00 per hour (the California minimum wage went up on July 1).

2. Check the salaries of your Exempt Employees -- there is a laundry list of qualifications for salaried employees to be exempt from overtime but the one affected by the increase in the minimum wage is the salary test.  Exempt employees must earn at least 2x the minimum wage to qualify for exempt status -- at least $37,440 per year.

3. Give new-hires the new Workers Compensation Pamphlet -- beginning July 1, use the new pamphlet (available at this link) to inform new employees of their workers' comp rights. 

4. PFL rules changed July 1 -- employees can now access Paid Family Leave (part of the State Disability Insurance program, and employee-paid program) to care for a grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or in-law; also remember to start giving new-hires the updated PFL pamphlet.

5. Double-check your employee notices postings -- FELS can provide laminated California & Federal Employee Notices posters that will allow you to comply with posting requirements of state and federal agencies.  This might be a good time to check that yours are legible, up-to-date, and posted in places that are worker-accessible.

6. Double-check your heat illness prevention program -- every time the mercury hovers between 95 and 100 degrees in the afternoon, you can be that Cal/OSHA will be out in force, looking for water, shade,.....and paper.  One of the most common citations Cal/OSHA makes to farm employers is failure to have a written Heat Illness Prevention Standard compliance at every location where workers are working.  You can find out more about that here.