Insight & Commentary on California Workplace Law Issues & Developments
California Governor Newsom recently signed Senate Bill (SB) 648, which authorizes the state’s Labor Commissioner to investigate and issue a citation or file a civil action for gratuities taken or withheld in violation of the Labor Code. This enforcement authorization will take effect January 1, 2026.
The Labor Code defines wage theft as employers…
The California Labor Commissioner’s Office, the agency that enforces a wide range of the state’s labor laws, has awarded $8.55 million in grants to 16 local prosecutors to step up enforcement of labor laws. This funding, part of the Workers’ Rights Enforcement Grant Program, is designed to help local governments prosecute wage payment violations and…
Pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB 2299), the Labor Commissioner was required to develop a model list of employee rights and responsibilities under existing whistleblower laws.
The Labor Commissioner had previously issued a sample notice which included a disclaimer that the Labor Commissioner did not guarantee its posting fulfilled the requirements of California law.
Recently…
California’s Governor signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2299 on July 15, 2024, which requires the state’s Labor Commissioner to develop a model list of employee rights and responsibilities under existing whistleblower laws. Employers will be required to post this notice beginning January 1, 2025. The notice must be written in a font larger than 14 point…
California’s pro-employee employment regulations are often compared to those of the European Union. Recently, the California legislature borrowed another European idea for a proposed bill, “the right to disconnect from work.”
Assembly Bill (AB) 2751 would mandate that employers establish policies that allow employees to disconnect from employment communications during non-working hours.
Under the proposed…
The California Supreme Court issued several important decisions in 2023 about issues such as COVID-19 take-home exposure and arbitrating Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) claims.
Employers should continue to be aware of several cases pending before the state’s high court. Here are the highlights and what these cases could mean for California employers.
PAGA…
In October, California passed Senate Bill (SB) 616, which increases the amount of paid sick leave employers are required to provide to California employees.
The Labor Commissioner recently published an updated Frequently Asked Questions page to cover changes made by SB 616. The following is some information of note from the FAQs.
Notice to…
Under the California Wage Theft Protection Act (Cal. Labor Code section 2810.5), all employers are required to provide each employee with a written notice containing specified information at the time of hire, including wage and paid sick leave information. The notice must be in the language the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information to…
There are several posting requirements in California for employers and it is important to ensure the appropriate posters are displayed in an area frequented by employees where they may be easily read during the workday.
Two of California’s main administrative agencies that regulate workplace requirements, the Department of Industrial Relations and the California Civil Rights…
In September 2021, California’s Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 62 which expands the definition of the garment manufacturing industry for purposes of wage claim enforcement to include brand guarantors. A brand guarantor is a person who contracts for the performance of garment manufacturing. Brand guarantors include persons who license a brand or name for garment…
