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Music instructors at Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage teach instruments from clawhammer banjo to mountain dulcimer, as well as leading bluegrass jams, singing circles and a community chorus. About 1,000 people a year study traditional music at the nonprofit arts organization. Now the Freight is preparing to reclassify its 30 music teachers as employees rather than independent contractors to comply with California’s new gig-work bill, AB5, which takes effect Jan. 1. “We decided that it was a better business practice,” said Sharon Dolan, executive director of the Freight. “A shift like this helps you clarify your values. We really, really want to support musicians an...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued thousands of Form I-9 audit notices this summer. As ICE worksite enforcement continues to increase, California employers need to keep in mind state requirements when served with a Form I-9 audit notice. California’s Immigrant Worker Protection Act has been in effect since January 2018 and, even though the Department of Justice challenged the law, California employers have several notice obligations when facing an ICE audit/inspection. Upon receiving an ICE audit/inspection notice, employers must post a notice to all current employees informing them of the federal inspection of Forms I-9 or other employer records within 72 hours of receiving the notice. The notice must also be given to th...