November 2023

A new California law requires employers to notify all current and former employees if any signed employment agreement (e.g., offer letter, non-disclosure agreement, employment contract), contains an invalid post-employment covenant not to compete (a “non-compete provision”). Assembly Bill 1076, signed last month by Gov. Newsom, requires employers to give written notice to all affected current and former employees that the non-compete provision is void by February 14, 2024.

On the heels of the United States Supreme Court’s decision limiting affirmative action in college admissions, we have seen an increase in workers who do not belong to historically underrepresented demographic groups filing lawsuits challenging their employers’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.[1] As a result, some businesses may wonder: Are our DEI efforts worth the legal risk? For most businesses, the consensus answer appears to be “yes.”

Husch Blackwell’s Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation group has published its second-annual Legal Insights for Manufacturing report, covering the top challenges facing U.S.-based manufacturers and including a section on labor and employment law concerns. Per the usual, labor and employment challenges rank at the very top of the list of corporate concerns and will likely continue