NEW COVID RETENTION LAWS
California's SB 93 became law on 4/16/21 which requires employers in some industries to make written job offers to workers laid-off due to COVID-19. Some specifics include:
a) Must have worked for the employer at least 6 months prior to 1/1/20;
b) Work is in the hospitality, building, airport, or events services industries;
c) Lay-off was related to COVID-19;
d) Employer must offer available job openings or explain why the individual is not qualified, with the worker having 5 business days to respond; and
e) Employer is required to maintain related records for 3 years.
SB 93 is codified in LC 2810.8 and set to expire on 12/31/24.
[COMMENT: Like with plant-closures, some CA employers will now have job placement duties for workers laid-off due to COVID-19. This could be an issue in work comp cases closing by C&R where a lay-off was involved, necessitating a formal resignation or other tool of art.]
EUREKA WCAB: ON-LINE ONLY
The physical WCAB satellite office in Eureka will be permanently closed on July 1st, with all operations to be handled strictly on-line. Any mailed documents must be sent directly to the Santa Rosa District Office for processing.