Webinar will Detail Labor and Employment Updates for 2022
To help hospitals comply with the new labor and employment laws taking effect in January, CHA will host a free, members-only webinar on Nov. 9 from 2 to 3:15 p.m. (PT). Gideon Baum, CHA vice president of policy who specializes in labor and employment issues surrounding hospitals, will provide updates and offer strategies on how CHA members can implement new laws and comply with California regulations. In addition to the new laws affecting hospitals, webinar attendees will also have […]
Biden Issues COVID-19 Action Plan with Vaccine Requirements for Health Care Workers, Federal Employees & Contractors, Private Sector Employees
Today President Biden announced his COVID-19 Action Plan. As part of the plan, President Biden issued an executive order requiring all federal executive branch workers to be vaccinated with no option for being regularly tested as an alternative and an executive order directing that this standard be extended to employees of contractors that do business with the federal government.
CHA Reminds Members That Despite Federal Standards, Cal/OSHA COVID-19 ETS Still Applies in California
As hospitals under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) authority have been actively implementing the emergency temporary standard (ETS) released on June 10, the American Hospital Association has been encouraging hospitals to comment on the regulation, arguing that the “OSHA COVID-19 ETS would jeopardize … the collective efforts by the field to follow the science-based … guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …”
California Supreme Court Issues Ruling on Missed Meal, Rest, and Recovery Period Compensation
A recent California Supreme Court decision on meal, rest, and recovery period violations could have major implications for many of the state’s employers — including hospitals.
Under current law, an employee who does not receive a meal, rest, or recovery period is owed “one additional hour of pay at the employee’s regular rate of compensation.” For many labor attorneys, this was interpreted to mean an additional hour of pay at the employee’s base pay rate — that is, the employee’s hourly pay rate, not including overtime compensation or bonuses. However, under a recent California Supreme Court decision, this is no longer permissible.
On July 15, the court ruled unanimously in Ferra v. Loews that the requirement of an additional hour of compensation at the employee’s “regular rate of compensation” has the same meaning as “regular rate of pay,” requiring the inclusion of overtime and bonuses with the employee’s base pay rate. As this ruling is retroactive, hospitals that compensate missed meal, rest, and recovery periods solely based on the employee’s base pay rate are out of compliance with the law and may face significant legal liability.
CHA encourages all hospitals to review their pay practices to ensure they are in full compliance with the law and to reach out to their California labor law counsel with any questions.
Cal/OSHA Approves Emergency Regulation on PPE Consumption, Issues FAQs
On June 8, Cal/OSHA submitted emergency regulations to the Office of Administrative Law to define “normal consumption.” As currently drafted, the emergency regulation defines “normal consumption” as the average consumption of specified personal protective equipment (PPE) type and size over a two- year period, with a 200% cap. This approach raises significant concerns, as CHA believes that this definition does not reflect statutory intent.
CHA Issues Comment Letter on Cal/OSHA Emergency Regulations for PPE Consumption
CHA has submitted comments to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) on Cal/OSHA’s June 8 emergency regulations pertaining to the stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE), which define “normal consumption” as the average consumption of specified PPE type and size over a two-year period, with a 200% cap.
CHA Issues Alert Urging Legislators to Oppose Bills That Threaten Access to Care and Increase Costs
On Monday, CHA issued an Alert asking hospitals to write and call their assembly member to oppose Assembly Bill (AB) 650 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance) and to write and call their state senator, asking them to oppose Senate Bill (SB) 213 (Cortese, D-San Jose).
Register Now for CHA’s Members-Only Human Resources Conference
Beginning this year, a single Human Resources Conference replaces CHA’s former employee safety/workers’ compensation seminar and its labor and employment seminar, combining both into a one-and-a-half-day event. Register now for CHA’s only human resources-focused educational program of 2020, to be held March 23-24 in Pasadena.
CDPH Issues Notice on Mandated Fines for Hospitals Not in Compliance With Nurse Staffing Ratios
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued All Facilities Letter 20-04, detailing the new administrative penalties it will enforce for general acute care hospitals that fail to comply with nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, and clarifying certain provisions of the requirements.