Sunday, September 24, 2023
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Robert Moutrie joined the CalChamber in March 2019 as a policy advocate. He leads CalChamber advocacy on workplace safety, legal reform and protection, tourism, insurance, unemployment insurance, immigration and education. He is CalChamber's expert on the COVID-19 workplace regulation and was closely involved in its drafting and amendments process at Cal/OSHA. Moutrie has represented clients on matters such as consumer fraud litigation, civil rights, employment law claims, tort claims, and other business-related issues in federal and state courts. He previously served as an associate attorney at the Oakland-based firm of Meyers, Nave, Riback, Silver & Wilson. Moutrie earned a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. with honors from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. See full bio.

CalChamber Tags UI Bill SB 799 as a Job Killer

The California Chamber of Commerce has tagged SB 799 (Portantino; D-Burbank) as a job killer, citing the proposal’s requirement for employers to subsidize striking...

Workplace Violence Bill Is Unworkable for Small Employers

A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that increases business costs and establishes a one-size-fits-all workplace violence regulation on all California employers was sent to...

SB 553 Impact Touches Every Industry in California

With this week’s amendments and the upcoming hearing in the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, it’s worth taking another look at SB 553 (Cortese;...

Formal Stage Begins to Prevent Heat Illness Indoors

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has started the formal rulemaking phase of its work on developing regulations to prevent heat...

Cal/OSHA COVID Rule Shifts to ‘Non-Emergency’

After years of rapid change, the potentially final form of California’s COVID-19 regulation has been filed with the Secretary of State and went into...

Cal/OSHA Considers Removing Exclusion Pay Mandate from New COVID Rule

As the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) prepares to vote on the next iteration of California’s COVID-19 emergency regulation, one important...

COVID-19 Regulation: Cal/OSHA Makes Big Changes Ahead of December Vote

California employers may want to get out their measuring tape — because the size (in cubic feet) of a workspace just became an important...

CalChamber Calls for Changes to Nonemergency COVID Draft Rule

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board’s draft proposal to extend the state’s COVID-19 regulation for another two years — with some significant changes from the COVID-19...

State Change in COVID-19 Definition of ‘Close Contact’ Leaves Questions for California Employers

One of the most well-known elements of COVID-19 workplace safety was changed last month — to relatively little fanfare — and it has left...

Coalition Urges Legislature to Adopt $3B UI Debt Payment Budget Proposal

The California Chamber of Commerce and a broad-based coalition of employer organizations are strongly supporting Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal to help reduce the...

Unemployment Fund Insolvency Will Lead to Payroll Tax Increases

With the legislative frenzy complete for the year, Sacramento’s policymakers are turning their eyes toward next year’s budget and their next round of legislative...

COVID-19 in the Workplace — Vaccination Mandate on Horizon

COVID-19 continues to dominate discussions around workplace safety in California and across the nation — and big changes for businesses are on the horizon...

Coming Soon: U.S. Emergency Rule Establishing Large Employer Vaccination or Testing Mandate

On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. Department of Labor through its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is working...

Proposal Allows Cal/OSHA to Sidestep Fiscal Review

Workplace rules would be allowed to skip past critical analysis of their fiscal and other effects if legislation pending before the Assembly becomes law. SB...

New COVID-19 Workplace Rules Align with CDC, State Health Dept. Guidelines

This week, the Standards Board of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) adopted revisions to the COVID-19 emergency workplace rules. The changes...

Cal/OSHA to Revise COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard Again

Revisions to California’s COVID-19 workplace emergency temporary standard (ETS) were delayed again this week at a special meeting of the Cal/OSHA Standards Board, but...

Cal/OSHA Delays Vote on COVID-19 Emergency Rule Amendments

Employers will have to wait a little longer to know what is coming for California’s COVID-19 workplace emergency temporary standard (ETS). The California Division of...