SAN JOSE — California's largest operator of recycling redemption centers shut down Monday and laid off 750 employees. RePlanet closed all 284 of its centers, and company president David Lawrence said the decision was driven by increased business costs and falling prices of recycled aluminum and PET plastic, the San Jose...
How to Help Small Business Owners Afford Health Care
Alma Beltran owns a successful small business, but that doesn’t mean she can afford health care for herself and her family. In fact, the Chula Vista entrepreneur, who is president of Graphic Image Label Inc., is facing a hard choice between the health of her loved ones and the health...
In Dynamex Fight, Lawmakers Can Be Pro-Worker and Pro-Innovation
California and the Bay Area have thrived creatively, economically and culturally because we attract top talent, encourage risk-taking and give people the flexibility and freedom to pursue their dreams on their own terms. It’s a successful formula that reflects California’s indomitable entrepreneurial spirit and empowers people to do great things....
Big Business to Supreme Court: Defend LGBTQ From Bias
NEW YORK — More than 200 corporations, including many of America's best-known companies, are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that federal civil rights law bans job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The corporations outlined their stance in a legal brief released Tuesday by...
Sephora Closes US Stores Briefly for Diversity Training
NEW YORK — Sephora closed all of its U.S. stores for an hour Wednesday to host "inclusion workshops" for its 16,000 employees, just over a month after R&B star SZA said she had security called on her while shopping at a store in California. The beauty retailer said the training...
Assembly Votes to Tighten Rules on Independent Contractors
SACRAMENTO — California residents working for companies like Lyft and Uber would get the rights of employees entitled to a minimum wage and workers compensation under a law the state Assembly passed on Wednesday. The sweeping bill, which now goes to the Senate, carries new standards defining whether workers are...
Walters: A New Front in Battle Over Gig Workers
One of the most contentious – and potentially far-reaching – bills of the current legislative session is Assembly Bill 5, which would draw a legal line between the definitions of employees and contractors. AB 5, carried by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a San Diego Democrat, is an outgrowth of a state...
Amazon Offer to Employees: Quit Job, Start Delivery Business
NEW YORK — Amazon, which is racing to deliver packages faster, is turning to its employees with a proposition: Quit your job and we'll help you start a business delivering Amazon packages. The offer, announced Monday, comes as Amazon seeks to speed up its shipping time from two days to...
On the Road to Make an Affordable Car, Tesla Cuts Jobs
Tesla will cut 7 percent of its workforce as it tries to lower prices and break out of the niche-car market to produce an electric vehicle that more people can afford. Tesla's cheapest model right now is the $44,000 Model 3, and it needs to broaden its customer base to...
IRS Recalling 46,000 Workers to Handle Taxes
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is recalling about 46,000 of its employees furloughed by the government shutdown — nearly 60 percent of its workforce — to handle tax returns and pay out refunds. The employees won't be paid. With the official start of the tax filing season coming Jan....