6 New Employment Law Bills In California (And How They Will Affect You)

Employment law in California is constantly evolving to expand workers’ rights and protect them from all kinds of discrimination, harassment, wrongful acts, unfair treatment, and other bad stuff.

This year, cities across California, including Torrance, Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Riverside, have rolled out a series of new employment law bills. Some of them have already been signed into law, while others are resting on governors’ desks and are about to be signed.

Our Torrance employment attorney at Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers has reviewed the most prominent bills and summarized them all so that you know what workplace changes to expect in your city in the coming months. Consult with our experienced employment attorney in Torrance, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Pasadena to learn more about the current status of these bills.

Anti-Discrimination Protection To Marijuana Users

There is a legislature that intends to prohibit employers from discriminating against employees or job applicants on the basis of his or her use of marijuana if this person is a qualified medical marijuana user.

The use of marijuana would now become one of the protected anti-discrimination characteristics in California such as gender, age, marital status, race, religion, skin color, ethnicity, pregnancy, etc.

Our best employment attorneys in California note that the legislation would not prohibit employers from refusing to hire or taking adverse employment action against employees using marijuana if their use of marijuana harms the business and results in the loss of monetary or another licensing-related benefit.

Furthermore, this bill would not prohibit an employer from firing or taking corrective action against a worker who is caught red-handed smoking weed in the workplace or working under the influence of marijuana.

More Females In The Boards Of Directors

Another bill would require publically traded corporations in California to appoint a specified number of women to their boards of directors. Under the new legislation, at least one female individual would have to be on their boards of directors by the end of 2019. By the end of 2021, that number would increase to two or three, depending on the current total number of directors on the board.

Ban On Confidential Sexual Harassment Settlements

The Harvey Weinstein effect still ripples through employment law in Torrance, Los Angeles and all across California. The new legislation would prohibit confidential settlement agreements relating to sexual harassment claims.

Our Torrance employment attorney explains that any provisions preventing the victim of sexual harassment from disclosing the fact or existence of the sexual misconduct in the workplace would now be illegal under California law unless the claimant (the victim of sexual harassment) insists on the inclusion of such a provision.

Increased Paid Sick Leave

A new employment law bill would increase the minimum amount of sick pay for employees accepting an annual lump sum of paid sick leave, from 24 hours to 40 hours.

Severe Penalties For Late Payment Of Wages

A new law would also impose increased penalties for employers for payday timing violations. Under the new law, the late payment of wages would impose a $100 penalty per day per employee for up to a week (7 days). Repeated violations would increase the penalty to $200 a day.

Extended Time To File Discrimination And Harassment Claims

Another employment law bill would also extend the timeframe within which an employee can file a discrimination or harassment claim, from one year to three years.

Do you want to find out how the new employment law bills are going to affect you and your workplace? Get a free consultation from our lawyers at Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers today. Call our offices at 310-527-6994 or complete this contact form.