The July issue of our Section’s Labor & Employment Law Review will feature an article by Laura Reathaford titled “State of the PAGA State: Where Do Things Stand 15 Years Later?” The author reviews recent and ongoing significant PAGA cases, including one filed by the California Business & Industrial Alliance against the State of California that challenges PAGA as unconstitutional on an “as-applied” basis. The author also discusses what she considers to be four problem areas for PAGA, and urges legislative corrections.

Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising Int’l (9th Cir. 17-16096 5/2/19) Retroactive ABC Test/Franchises. Holding that the Dynamex ABC test applies retroactively, and applies in—and is not altered by—the franchise context.

Next month will bring the Section’s best and largest event of the year, our 9th Annual Advanced Wage & Hour Conference and 36th Labor and Employment Law Section Annual Meeting. This year, it will be at one of my favorite hotels, the Millennium Biltmore in Downtown Los Angeles, which has frescoed mural ceilings and hallways of photos of old Hollywood glamour. The combined conference will have something for everyone, and you can register to attend one or both days. Our Wage and Hour Conference, on July 18, will have an annual update, panels on Dynamex and PAGA, a wage-and-hour-ethics-themed trivia luncheon, and the much-loved judges panel with practical tips on litigating wage and hour class actions.

This program will cover the Supreme Court’s three arbitration-related decisions from the October, 2018 term, and discuss their implications for class and representative action litigation focusing on wage and hour disputes.