Teresa McQueen
Western Growers, Corporate Counsel III
Teresa McQueen is Corporate Counsel III for Western Growers. In that capacity she provides advice and counsel to the organization on employment law matters and commercial trade practices. She also provides legal guidance to Western Growers members on employment law, human resources, and commercial agreements, as well as providing law-related educational opportunities and overseeing annual […]
Posts By: Teresa McQueen
- All
- June, 2026
- May, 2026
- April, 2026
- March, 2026
- February, 2026
- January, 2026
- December, 2025
- November, 2025
- October, 2025
- September, 2025
- August, 2025
- July, 2025
- June, 2025
- May, 2025
- April, 2025
- March, 2025
- February, 2025
- January, 2025
- December, 2024
- November, 2024
- October, 2024
- September, 2024
- August, 2024
- July, 2024
- June, 2024
- May, 2024
- April, 2024
- March, 2024
- February, 2024
- January, 2024
- December, 2023
- November, 2023
- October, 2023
- September, 2023
- August, 2023
- July, 2023
- June, 2023
- May, 2023
- April, 2023
- March, 2023
- February, 2023
- January, 2023
- December, 2022
- November, 2022
- October, 2022
- September, 2022
- August, 2022
- July, 2022
- June, 2022
- May, 2022
- April, 2022
- March, 2022
- February, 2022
- January, 2022
- December, 2021
- November, 2021
- October, 2021
- September, 2021
- August, 2021
- July, 2021
- June, 2021
- May, 2021
- January, 2021
California’s CRD Releases FAQs on Employment-Related Agreements
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD (formerly the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH)) has issued FAQs providing guidance on California’s new limitations on confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses in employment, separation, and settlement agreements. The laws regarding these types of agreements have been expanded over the past several years. The last expansion, SB…
California Appeals Board Clarifies Worksite Water Requirements
A recent Department of Industrial Relations’ Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board (OSHAB) decision regarding the provisioning of water at outdoor worksites provides clarity on the definition of what “as close as practicable” means when it comes to water placement at the workplace. In 2019 Cal/OSHA cited a Northern California vineyard after a complaint-initiated safety…
Best Practices: Timing and Payment of Wages
Federal law requires payment of wages as cash, negotiable instruments (i.e., checks) or under certain circumstances, by crediting the worker for tips earned or the reasonable cost (fair value) of board, lodging or other facilities provided by the employer. Wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must be paid free and clear of any repayment obligations of any kind (e.g., kickbacks to the…
California FLC Ordered to Pay over $460,000 to Farmworkers
A Salinas labor contractor has been ordered to pay more than $460,000 in damages and penalties for allegedly withholding the final paychecks and transportation expenses of hundreds of domestic and H-2A farmworkers after a U.S. district court awarded the U.S Department of Labor (DOL) a consent judgment against the company. The consent judgment follows a DOL investigation and…
Fed-OSHA Withdraws Proposal to Revoke ADOSH
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Fed-OSHA) has announced the withdrawal of its prior proposal to revoke final approval of Arizona’s state ADOSH program. On April 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor published a notice of Proposed Reconsideration and Revocation of Arizona’s State Plan. As discussed here, on August 10 2022, the DOL reopened public comment on…
National Labor Relations Board Enforces New Restrictions on Severance Agreements
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a new ruling reversing prior precedent on an employer’s use of severance agreements. In McLaren Macomb1 the employer offered severance agreements to unionized employees permanently furloughed at the beginning of the pandemic. The agreement contained broad non-disparagement and confidentiality provisions2. In overturning prior decisions on…
Prepare Now for Year End Harassment Prevention Training
Harassment, discrimination, and retaliatory conduct remain a concern and source of potential risk for employers. Sexual harassment also continues to be a serious area of liability with impacted employers seeing record settlements and damages awards. The California employer’s duty to prevent harassment includes training all employees on preventing sexual harassment and abusive conduct in the…
Managing Holiday Cheer
With the holiday season in full swing and many companies looking forward to once again hosting their employees for in-person holiday parties, it’s a good time to begin managing the holiday cheer. Whether your company will be hosting a formal or casual holiday get together these tips and reminders should help keep partygoers and companies ...
CO Paid Family Leave Program Begins January 2023
Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) program is scheduled to start January 1., 2023. Employers and employees across Colorado are required to notify employees of payroll deductions by posting the Required Program Notice on or before the January 2023 deadline. Premium deductions begin in January however, the first payment employers are required to make ...
Colorado Extends Its COVID-19 Disaster Emergency Declaration
On November 11, 2022, Colorado’s Governor issued an Executive Order extending the state’s COVID-19 disaster emergency declaration. The declaration which has been in place since March 2020 will now include “Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), influenza, and other respiratory illnesses.” The Order does not create any new requirements when it comes to providing public health emergency…
Important Wage and Hour Reminders for CA Employers
A new year is just around the corner – can you believe it! Time to begin planning for important changes in California wage and hour laws taking effect January 1, 2023. Minimum Wage: On January 1, 2023, California’s minimum wage increases to $15.50 per hour. This marks the first increase since 2017 that impacts all ...
Tips for I-9 Compliance in the New Year
The approach of a new year always presents a great opportunity for employers to review and, as necessary, revise existing policies and practices. Immigration documentation in the workplace has seen some significant changes over the past year with further developments expected in 2023. Below are a few key tips to help you remain complaint in ...
U.S. DOL Publishes Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for 2023
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published the 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H-2A workers) to perform agricultural labor or services other than the herding or production of livestock on the range. Starting January 1, 2023, the AEWRs to be paid for H-2A ...
Cal-OSHA Votes to Adopt Non-Emergency COVID-19 Prevention Regulations
California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal-OSHA) voted on December 15, 2022, to adopt non-emergency COVID-19 Prevention regulations. The regulations are anticipated to take effect January 2023 once approved by the Office of Administrative Law. The regulations will remain in effect for two years after their effective date, except for the recordkeeping subsections that…
California’s DIR Releases Pay Scale Disclosure FAQs
The California Equal Pay Act prohibits an employer from paying its employees less than that of the opposite sex for equal work. Equal Pay Act mandates were strengthened with the signing of the California Fair Pay Act (SB 1162) which, starting January 1, 2023, will require employers to disclose additional pay data, provide pay ranges ...
Updated Workplace Postings for 2023
State and federal law require employers to meet workplace posting obligations. What must be posted depends on many factors including the number of employees, nature and location of the employer’s business, annual dollar volume, whether the employer is a federal contractor, and in certain instances the employer’s industry. Posting requirements vary by statute which means ...
WG Legal Insights E-Newsletter Top 10 Articles of 2022: A Year in Review
It’s been an eventful year in the world of employment law! As 2022 draws to a close we took the opportunity to put together a Top Ten list of some of our most popular articles of the year; we hope you enjoy! Farm Labor Survey Shows H-2A Wage Increase for 2023 Card Check Bill AB ...
New Federal Law Provides Additional Protections to Pregnant Workers
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law two new Bills offering additional protections for pregnant and lactating workers. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) The PWFA prohibits employment practices that discriminate against making reasonable accommodations for qualified employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Under the PWFA, a qualified…
Lack of Training/Compliance Oversight Leads to FCRA Violation
Many employers find it worthwhile to check the references, job history, personal character, criminal conviction history or credit history of an individual prior to making the decision to hire or promote. This can be done through an in-house investigation using public records or by an outside third-party consumer-reporting agency (CRA). Initiating background checks and calling ...
New Colorado Wage Theft Protections Take Effect Jan. 2023
Colorado’s SB 22-161 took effect January 1, 2023, with increased penalties for wage theft and the late payment of wages. Key updates and modifications pertaining to the payment of wages and state enforcement procedures are as follows: Changes the penalties for failure to provide requested information to the division of labor standards and statistics in ...