We wrote our first blog post in this forum four years ago today. We weren't really sure what we set out to accomplish, but we figured that, if we got half as many hits as our personal blogs, we'd get a pretty decent audience. At the same time, we had trouble finding a blog that kept track of what we cared about most - the rapid change and development in California's wage and hour law. Since then, we've followed more than a half dozen big, highly anticipated cases, we've talked to reporters all over the country about wage and hour cases and trends, and we've met more than half of the lawyers who practice in this area in California.
This blog is still authored by Michael J. Walsh and Mark A. Walsh, the principals in Walsh & Walsh, P.C., but we've had a couple of guest posters. We continue to talk about what we set out to talk about, which are matters of interest to California employees and employee's rights attorneys, with a particular emphasis on working conditions and wage and hour matters, including:
- Unpaid Overtime
- Misclassification of Salaried Employees
- Failure to Permit Meal Periods and Rest Periods
- Failure to Pay Final Wages Upon Termination
- Unlawful Docking of Pay for Shortages or Breakage
- Failure to Provide and Maintain Uniforms
- Compelled Patronage / Wardrobing
In hindsight, we didn't talk much about uniforms and wardrobing. The rest has continued to draw our attention. As more wage and hour cases have made it to the Court of Appeal as class actions, we've found ourselves talking more and more about class actions - settlements, strategies, scandals, and of course, CAFA. We think Equal Pay might become a popular topic in 2009 and 2010.
We have spent a lot of time on the project, but on the whole, it has been a good investment. Hopefully, reading it has been a good investment for you.