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The year 2014 is just around the corner, and as it is, everyone in the workforce, both employers and employees, are expecting changes in the California employment and labor. New laws signed by Calif. Governor Jerry Brown will be made effective next year, and as such, employers would have to make the necessary changes in their employment handbooks, as well as in their practices and policies.
Here is the list of some of the notable employment and labor laws in California to watch out for in 2014:
• Assembly Bill 10. This bill was signed September 25 of this year, which would raise the state’s minimum wage from the current per-hour rate of $8.00 to $9.00 on July 1, 2014. By Jan. 1 2016, the minimum wage would increase once again, this time to $10.00. This bill, however, has been met with criticisms, especially from some businesses in California.
• Senate Bill 770. This bill expanded the Paid Family Leave program of qualified California workers. Before the law, employees who took time off to take care of a child, spouse, parent or domestic partner with a serious illness, or to bond with an adopted or foster child can collect state disability insurance. The new law, which will be made effective July 1 next year, would include taking care for seriously ill grandparents, grandchildren, siblings and in-laws.
• Senate Bill 496. This newly-signed bill would protect workers from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation for reporting local law violations.
• Assembly Bill 218. Signed into law October 10, this bill states that local and state government agencies searching for potential employees are now prohibited from asking applicants regarding their criminal convictions. Here, agencies may still ask for the prospects’ criminal background, so long as the former determine the minimum employment qualifications.
• Assembly Bill 263. This newly-signed bill would protect employees against unfair employer practices related to immigration, especially if they exercise their rights that are protected under the state’s Labor Code. Here, covered employers are not allowed to threatening employees in contacting immigration authorities when the latter complains about certain employer violations.
With these new laws taking into effect in 2014, employees can expect stronger protections against discrimination and other unfair employment practices, as well as be made aware of the changes in the realm of California labor. Meanwhile, an employee who thinks his or her employer violated any provisions in any of these new laws may consult with an expert Los Angeles employment lawyer.
Employees in California who had been victims of domestic violence can now rejoice after Governor Jerry Brown signed last October 11 Senate Bill 400, a bill that would provide them protections against employment discrimination.
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| Image: chetna-dfw.org |
Effective at the start of 2014, the newly-signed bill makes it unlawful for covered California employers to discriminate or retaliate against, or wrongfully terminate employees who have been victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The legislation also requires employers to provide victims reasonable safety accommodations, including changing a work phone number and implementing a safety plan within the workplace, among others.
SB 400 was sponsored by Senators Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), and Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles). With the signing of the bill, California became just the seventh state to forbid workplace bias against victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault in any aspect of employment, following Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
It can be remembered that the introduction of SB 400 in the legislature was primarily brought into the spotlight after an incident involving a California teacher named Carie Chatsworth. She was a second-grade teacher of 14 years at an elementary school in El Cajon when she was fired last April after her estranged husband who verbally and emotionally abused her for several years went to the school’s parking lot, causing the campus to go on a preventive lockdown.
The man was later arrested; however, Chatsworth later received a notice telling her that the events that transpired involving her former husband resulted in her contract to teach for the school to not be renewed.
Long before the bill was passed and was still being heard in the California Senate, Chatsworth testified before a Senate committee, explaining the need of victims “to be able to speak up about what is happening so they can get the help they need to leave their abusive situation.” Fortunately, the bill was passed, thanks to the all-out support from its sponsors, as well as civil rights groups.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles employment lawyers see this recent legislation as a great way to extend employment protections to employees working in California. With the passage of the bill, legal professionals believe that victims of domestic violence are no longer at risk of losing their jobs.
