Written by Jeremy Mittman and Celia Guzman As of January 1, 2023, Senate Bill 1044 prohibits California employers from taking or threatening adverse action against an employee for refusing to report to, or leaving, the workplace due to a “reasonable belief”that the workplace is unsafe due to an “emergency condition.”  Here’s what you need to know: 1. Emergency Condition.  An emergency condition is defined to … Continue reading California Employers Prohibited from Taking Adverse Action Against Employees during “Emergency Conditions”

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Kyle DeCamp California Governor Gavin Newson has approved and signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1949, an amendment to the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) that will take effect on January 1, 2023. AB 1949 now requires covered California employers to provide eligible employees with 5 days of unpaid bereavement leave for the death of a qualifying family member. This bereavement leave … Continue reading California Employers Required to Provide Bereavement Leave to Employees

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Corey Singer California employers will be prohibited from firing its workers who use marijuana off the job starting January 1, 2024 thanks to a bill that California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law last month.  Recreational marijuana use has been legal in California since 2016 when a majority of voters approved it.  In many circumstances, however, California employers can still … Continue reading California Will Prohibit Employers From Discriminating Against Off-site Marijuana Use

Written by Jeremy Mittman Is your company hiring?  If so, it’s important to know that California has passed new requirements for job postings and important disclosures to applicants and employees. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 27, 2022 and taking effect January 1, 2023, the new law will require every California employer with more than 15 employees to disclose a position’s pay range in … Continue reading California Enacts New Law Mandating Pay Range Disclosures In Job Listings

Written by Te’Aira Law and Gary McLaughlin California Assembly Bill 51 (“AB 51”), codified as California Labor Code section 432.6 and California Government Code section 12953, was signed by Governor Newsom in 2019 and went into effect January 1, 2020.  AB 51 prohibits California employers from requiring employees to agree to mandatory arbitration as a condition of employment. In early 2020, multiple business associations, including the … Continue reading Ninth Circuit Withdraws its Decision on California’s “AB 51” Arbitration Law

Written by Jeremy Mittman On July 22, 2022, the California Secretary of State announced that a measure to repeal the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which authorizes aggrieved employees to file lawsuits on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State of California for Labor Code violations, is qualified for the statewide ballot in November 2024. The proposed initiative, titled the “Labor Code Fair Pay … Continue reading Measure to Repeal PAGA Qualifies for 2024 California General Election Ballot