Call Us: New California Employee Laws
California is a state to have several known employee-friendly laws that promote safe practices and a safe environment in the workplace for both corporate employees and employees who take part in manual labor. Other states do not have as many protections as California does.
California allows employees who have been taken advantage of to file a lawsuit to assert their protections as an employee. If a third party has taken advantage of your rights, you have the right to hold them accountable and get compensated for any injuries.
For example, if you have suffered any physical injuries, you have the right to get compensated for your medical bills and emotional trauma associated with those physical injuries. In the event that you have taken time off of work, you are also able to get compensated for your past lost wages, along with any future lost wages that you think you will need.
There were several laws that went into effect on January 1, 2023. It takes a highly qualified attorney to stay on top of the laws to make sure that you’re protected. Our attorneys have been representing accident victims for years, and always stay on top of the rules and regulations associated with personal injury lawsuits. For more information on a potential case that you may have, give our legal team a call today.
Pay Transparency And Data Recording Requirements
According to SB 1162, California mandated that all employers that have more than 100 employees need to report their employees’ ethnicity and race every year to the California Civil Rights Department. This law was already in effect, but starting January 1, 2023, this law now required employers with more than 100 employees to also provide the pay ranges for each employee. This allows the California Civil Rights Department the opportunity to determine if there is any pay inequality associated with employees. The employer must provide whether the employee is hourly or salary, and the pay scale where they expect the employee to earn after a certain number of years.
This law also made it mandatory for employers who have more than 15 employees to write the average pay range for any job postings. Even if it is a job posting on a third-party website, an employer is still required to specify the range of what the employee could be making in such a position.
Both these rules are meant to increase transparency among all employees.
Bereavement Leave
Starting January 1, 2023, AB 1949 allows employees to take up to 5 days of bereavement leave within 3 months at work. This leave is considered to be unpaid.
Use Of Cannabis Ab 2188
According to California Government Code Section 12954, employers are not able to discriminate against their employees simply because they use cannabis while off the job. This was meant to take effect on January 1, 2024. But, employers could still request that employees not use cannabis while on the job. Employers could also outlaw cannabis on workplace property. they could maintain a drug-free and alcohol-free environment.
Paid Sick Leave
Under the California Family Rights Act, employers who have more than five employees must provide unpaid sick leave of 12 weeks within a year period starting January 1, 2023, California Government Code Section 12945.2 allows employees to take sick leave to care for non-family members. It could be an individual that the employee considers to have a close family relationship with, but does not necessarily have to be blood-related.
Minimum Wage Increases
Starting January 1, 2023, the California minimum wage increased to $15.50 per hour for all employees, regardless of the size of the company. Some cities, such as Hollywood, have enacted higher minimum wage requirements.
Retaliation Protections
Starting January 1, 2023, employers cannot threaten an employee to return back to work if the employee considers the workplace to be unsafe and believes they have an emergency condition. The employee must reasonably believe that the workplace is unsafe, and the reasonableness is determined by the circumstances involving the workplace.
COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
As of March 29, 2021, California employers who have 25 or more employees must provide up to 80 hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to employees who are unable to work or work from home due to COVID-19.
Warehouse Quotas
Starting January 1, 2022, warehouse workers were protected from quotas that violated their employee rights. This was spelled out under Assembly Bill 701.
Agricultural Workers And Overtime
Starting January 1, 2023, employers that have less than 25 employees must pay their employees overtime after they have worked longer than 9 hours a day or more than 50 hours a week. Employers who have 26 or more employees or more must pay their agricultural workers overtime after 8 hours a day or more than 40 hours a week.
OSHA Requirements
AB 2068 Requires that OSHA citations be listed in multiple different languages so employees could understand. This was passed in response to the increase in the number of diverse employees in the workspace.
Criminal Background Checks
Employers are now required to provide a copy of an individual’s background check report before taking any adverse action based on the report.
There are several laws that took effect within the last couple of years that have changed the way that employers could treat their employees. This provides more protection to employees and allows employees to take time off of work to care for their family members. However, there are several states that have yet to enact any similar laws.
If you have been injured in an accident at work, you have the right to file a lawsuit against your employer. The lawsuit can be based on several different factors, including improper training, lack of proper equipment, and lack of supervision. Employers are required under California law to make sure that the property is free from any hazards to prevent accidents.
In order to file a lawsuit against an employer, you must have to show:
- The employer had a duty to make sure that the workplace was safe from any potential accidents.
- The employer failed to follow this duty and instead created an Environment where the accident was likely to occur.
- The accident caused the employee to suffer injuries.
- The employee now has damages from the injuries, such as medical bills.
How Much Do Our Accident Attorneys Cost?
Our car accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee agreement allows our attorneys to take on your case, especially because you may not have enough financial compensation to pay for an attorney upfront. In the event that we win a settlement or judgment, we will then get compensated by taking a percentage of the compensation we receive. This percentage differs depending on the amount of work required from the lawsuit.
There are several different types of laws that are passed statewide and through local counties which could impact your rights to get compensated in a lawsuit. Hiring an attorney that has extensive experience and has monitored all the current laws is ideal for your case.