The material on this website is provided by Beeson, Tayer & Bodine for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult with their own legal counsel before acting on any of the information presented. Some of the articles are updated periodically, and are marked with the date of the last update. Again, readers should consult with their own legal counsel for the most current information and to obtain professional advice before acting on any of the information presented.
Labor Law (Public Sector)
Court Ruling Protects the Public Sector Pensions
January 12, 2018 by
Robert Bonsall
Legacy members of the County retirement systems in Alameda, Contra Costa and Merced counties obtained a tremendous victory from California’s First Appellate District on January 8, 2018 in a closely watched case challenging certain provisions… Read More
BTB Annual Legislative Round-up (4 of 4)
December 27, 2017 by
Peter McEntee, Sarah Kanter and Christopher Hammer
Public Sector Right to Organize / Union Representation SB 285 – Prohibition on Dissuading Public Employee to Join a UnionThis bill prohibits a public employer from deterring or discouraging public employees from becoming or remaining… Read More
Labor Day 2017: A Look to the Future (Part Three)
September 4, 2017 by
Andrew Baker
In the first two pieces in this series, we took a look at labor’s past, going all the way back to 1877. We’ve seen that starting with the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947,… Read More
Labor Day 2017: A Look to the Past (Part Two)
by
Andrew Baker
In the first installment of this piece, we looked at the Great Strike of 1877 and the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval of the National Labor Relations Act in 1937. Passage of the NLRA in 1935… Read More
Labor Day 2017: A Look to the Past (Part One)
September 1, 2017 by
Andrew Baker
Labor Day traditionally is the time to reflect on the state of the American labor movement, and Labor Day 2017 brings an opportunity to mark the anniversaries of several events in American history instrumental to… Read More
New Law Mandates Union Access to New Employee Orientation In Public Sector
July 3, 2017 by
Susan Garea
AB 119 AB 119 (codified at California Government Code §§ 3555-3559) requires California’s public employers to provide unions mandatory access to new bargaining unit employees at orientation. It also requires the prompt provision of contact… Read More
Cash-in-Lieu of Benefits Payments Trigger Higher Overtime Pay
April 4, 2017 by
Sarah Kanter
In a case that has far reaching implications for unions and workers, the Ninth Circuit ruled in Flores v. City of San Gabriel in June 2016, that when an employer calculates its employees’ “regular rate… Read More
You Say “Confer,” I Say “Consult.” Let’s Not Call the Whole Thing Off
March 17, 2017 by
Andrew Baker
The Meyers-Milias-Brown Act imposes on covered public employers an obligation both to “meet and confer” and to “consult” with recognized employee unions. Do the different words mean there are two different bargaining obligations? Not really… Read More
Collective Bargaining: The Bone and Sinew of Resistance
September 5, 2016 by
Teague Paterson
This Labor Day marks the beginning of the end of a long and bitter election season, one that has revealed striking divisions within America’s political parties and stark contrasts in each party’s vision of America. … Read More
Student Teaching and Research Assistants Unite!
September 1, 2016 by
Susan Garea
The NLRB on August 23 issued a ruling that private university students who work as teaching or research assistants and who meet the common-law definition of “employee” are no longer excluded from coverage under the… Read More

Court Ruling Protects the Public Sector Pensions
January 12, 2018 by Robert Bonsall
Legacy members of the County retirement systems in Alameda, Contra Costa and Merced counties obtained a tremendous victory from California’s First Appellate District on January 8, 2018 in a closely watched case challenging certain provisions… Read More

BTB Annual Legislative Round-up (4 of 4)
December 27, 2017 by Peter McEntee, Sarah Kanter and Christopher Hammer
Public Sector Right to Organize / Union Representation SB 285 – Prohibition on Dissuading Public Employee to Join a UnionThis bill prohibits a public employer from deterring or discouraging public employees from becoming or remaining… Read More

Labor Day 2017: A Look to the Future (Part Three)
September 4, 2017 by Andrew Baker
In the first two pieces in this series, we took a look at labor’s past, going all the way back to 1877. We’ve seen that starting with the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947,… Read More

Labor Day 2017: A Look to the Past (Part Two)
by Andrew Baker
In the first installment of this piece, we looked at the Great Strike of 1877 and the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval of the National Labor Relations Act in 1937. Passage of the NLRA in 1935… Read More

Labor Day 2017: A Look to the Past (Part One)
September 1, 2017 by Andrew Baker
Labor Day traditionally is the time to reflect on the state of the American labor movement, and Labor Day 2017 brings an opportunity to mark the anniversaries of several events in American history instrumental to… Read More

New Law Mandates Union Access to New Employee Orientation In Public Sector
July 3, 2017 by Susan Garea
AB 119 AB 119 (codified at California Government Code §§ 3555-3559) requires California’s public employers to provide unions mandatory access to new bargaining unit employees at orientation. It also requires the prompt provision of contact… Read More

Cash-in-Lieu of Benefits Payments Trigger Higher Overtime Pay
April 4, 2017 by Sarah Kanter
In a case that has far reaching implications for unions and workers, the Ninth Circuit ruled in Flores v. City of San Gabriel in June 2016, that when an employer calculates its employees’ “regular rate… Read More

You Say “Confer,” I Say “Consult.” Let’s Not Call the Whole Thing Off
March 17, 2017 by Andrew Baker
The Meyers-Milias-Brown Act imposes on covered public employers an obligation both to “meet and confer” and to “consult” with recognized employee unions. Do the different words mean there are two different bargaining obligations? Not really… Read More

Collective Bargaining: The Bone and Sinew of Resistance
September 5, 2016 by Teague Paterson
This Labor Day marks the beginning of the end of a long and bitter election season, one that has revealed striking divisions within America’s political parties and stark contrasts in each party’s vision of America. … Read More

Student Teaching and Research Assistants Unite!
September 1, 2016 by Susan Garea
The NLRB on August 23 issued a ruling that private university students who work as teaching or research assistants and who meet the common-law definition of “employee” are no longer excluded from coverage under the… Read More