California has finally claimed the title as the first state to approve raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour. Although the ten-buck uptick doesn't go into effect until 2016 (the law increases it to $9 next July), employers need to take a hard look at what the law may mean for them right now in order to avoid wage-and-hour-related disputes and litigation.

Writing for the Association of Corporate Counsel, attorneys Gregory Cheng and Ameneh Ernest of Ogletree Deakins warn that the new law could "take them out of compliance in other areas of wage and hour law that are dependent upon the value of the state minimum wage."

Among the examples they cite:

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.

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