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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 […]

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Wage & Hour Tips for the Holiday Season

With the holiday season upon us it is important to understand wage and hour obligations associated with holiday pay and the impact of holiday closures.   California law makes no special provision for holiday pay; holidays, like Saturdays and Sundays, are treated like any other workday. As always, the focus in California is on making sure employees are paid for all hours worked – including…

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Understanding SB 553’s WVPP Training Requirements

California’s SB 553 introduced a significant new requirement for employers: the implementation of a comprehensive Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). The WVPP must develop, maintain, and train employees on procedures designed to recognize, prevent, and respond to workplace violence incidents.  One crucial aspect of SB 553 is its emphasis on employee training. Employers are required…

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CA Supreme Court to Decide the Fate of Non-Individual PAGA Claims

California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) allows employees to sue on behalf of themselves and others for Labor Code violations. In 2024, hard-fought reforms tightened standing requirements, requiring plaintiffs to show at least one Labor Code violation within the past year. Despite these changes, courts still face disputes over non-individual PAGA claims – representative actions…

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Cal/OSHA to Consider Revisions to Draft WPV Regulation

California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Board), is currently considering comments, feedback, suggestions and recommendations from California employers and labor representatives on the topic of further revisions to the state’s Workplace Violence Prevention Plan law (SB 553).   As discussed here, SB 533 requires the California Division of Occupational Safety and…

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Best Practices: California Rejects Unfair Arbitration Agreement

In the recent case of Gurganus v. IGS Solutions, LLC, (Gurganus) California once again reminds employers that to be enforceable; arbitration agreements must be both procedurally and substantively fair. The central issue in Gurganus was whether the arbitration agreement between Gurganus and her employer was enforceable. Specifically, the court examined if the agreement was unconscionable—both…

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California’s SB 59 Highlights Employee Medical Information Confidentiality 

Effective January 1, 2026, Senate Bill 59 (SB 59) reinforces California’s commitment to safeguarding employee privacy by imposing stricter requirements on employers to ensure that any medical information obtained in the course of employment is kept strictly confidential and used only for legitimate business purposes.  What Does it Mean  Maintaining confidentiality is mandatory under SB…

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Updated CPPA Regulations Impacting HR Compliance

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) – specifically automated decision-making technology (ADMT) - becomes increasingly integrated into human resources processes, new California compliance requirements are taking center stage. Tools such as resume screeners, performance scoring systems, and scheduling software now fall under California Privacy Protection Agency (the Agency) regulations designed to…

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Reminder: California’s Minimum Wage Increases January 1, 2026

In August 2025, the California Department of Finance reported a 2.49% rise in the U.S. CPI-W from July 2024 to June 2025. The increase prompted a statutory change to California’s minimum wage which will rise by the same percentage from $16.50 per hour to $16.90 per hour, effective January 1, 2026.   Consequently, this increase will also affect the minimum salary requirements for most…

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Best Practices: Legislative Changes and Staying Ahead of The Curve

Each year, California’s legislative cycle brings a wave of new laws that directly impact how employers operate—and how HR leads compliance efforts. This year, 794 bills were signed into law, while 124 were vetoed. Of those, 70 bills are employment law related – a 30% decrease from the last legislative cycle, but still a substantial volume of change for employers to navigate.  Even with…

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New DHS Rule Ends Automatic EAD Extensions

On October 29, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an interim final rule ending the practice of automatically extending employment authorization documents (EAD) for foreign nationals filing renewal applications in certain employment authorization categories.   The new rule will impact foreign nationals lawfully working in the United States who file to renew their…

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Best Practices: Workplace Investigations

Many state and federal laws require an employer to investigate employee complaints in a timely manner (e.g., California Fair Employment & Housing Act, Title VII, ADA/ADAAA). Prompt and thorough investigations ensure accurate recollections and give the employer the opportunity to quickly take all appropriate corrective actions.   The first steps taken by an employer in any investigation…

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CA Expands EDD Paid Family Leave Program Benefits

California’s newly signed SB 590 expands the state’s Employment Development Department’s (EDD) Paid Family Leave program to include replacement benefits for individuals who take time off of work to care for a seriously ill designated person. Existing EDD Paid Family Leave benefits provide temporary wage replacement benefits for workers who take time off for prescribed purposes, including…

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On the Horizon: New Pay Data Reporting Obligations

Recent legislative changes under California’s SB 464 are set to expand pay data reporting obligations for private employers with 100 or more employees. The state’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) currently requires employers to submit annual reports detailing employee numbers by race, ethnicity, and sex across 10 job categories. These reports also require pay data segmented by federal pay…

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California’s SB 642 Revises the State’s Equal Pay Act

Signed into law on October 8, 2025, California’s SB 642 updates the state’s existing Equal Pay Act (the Act) effective, January 1, 2026. Generally, the Act imposes varying requirements on employers to share pay-scale information in job postings and with applicants as requested. Changes under SB 642 include redefining the terms “pay scale,” “sex,” “wages,” and “wage rates,”…

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New California Law Targets Worker Repayment Agreements 

California’s AB 692, signed into law on October 13, 2025, and effective January 1, 2026, will make it unlawful to include in any employment contract, or to require a worker to execute as a condition of employment or a work relationship, a contract term that does any of the following:  Requires the worker to pay an employer, training provider, or debt collector for a debt if the…

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California’s New Workplace Know Your Rights Act: What Employers Need to Know

California’s SB 294, officially titled the Workplace Know Your Rights Act (the Act), was signed into law on October 12, 2025. The Act aims to ensure that California employees are fully informed of their rights in the workplace, particularly in areas involving labor protections, immigration-related inspections, union activity, and constitutional rights during law enforcement…

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Government Shutdown: E-Verify Is Back Online 

After being off-line due to the ongoing government shutdown, the Department of Labor’s E-Verify system is once again active. The system was shuttered as of October 1, 2025, due to a lapse in government funding, and reactivated October 7, 2025. Employers are encouraged to begin processing backlogged cases as soon as practicable.   As with previous shutdowns, employers will not be penalized…

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Employers Prepare: California Tightens Data Breach Notification Rules with SB 446 

California employers are facing a significant update to their data privacy responsibilities. SB 446, recently signed into law and effective January 1, 2026, overhauls the state’s data breach notification requirements — imposing strict new deadlines, clearer standards, and added accountability for businesses that handle personal information.  Historically, California’s data breach laws…

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New California Law Clarifies Immunity for Bias Mitigation Training

Signed into law on October 1, 2025, California’s SB 303, a new bill strengthening an employers’ ability to provide bias mitigation training, went into effect immediately by adding Section 12940.2 to the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). SB 303’s key purpose is to make clear that an employee’s good-faith participation in bias mitigation training — including…

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California SB 617 Expands Cal-WARN Notification Requirements

The California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (Cal-WARN), governs employer actions regarding mass layoffs, relocations, and terminations. The statute prohibits an employer, with certain exceptions, from ordering a mass layoff, relocation, or termination at a covered establishment unless the employer provides 60-days' written notice to the employees, the Employment Development…

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