The new decade has brought new labor laws to Californians. Workers in the state should be aware of these new California employment laws since they directly affect workers’ rights and legal options. Our California employment attorney outlines some of these important updates below.
3 New California Employment Laws
Assembly bills 1223, 9, and 673 each made important amendments to existing laws. The bills all went into effect on January 1st of this year.
AB 1223: Organ Donor Unpaid Leave of Absence.
Last September, California’s governor approved Assembly Bill 1223. Having gone into effect on January 1st, this bill now requires employers to grant employees an unpaid leave of absence for organ donation. This time off need not exceed 30 business days within a given year and applies to both public and private sector employees.
Existing law already requires that private employees receive a 30-day paid leave of absence for organ donation. Public employees receive a similar leave of absence. However, public employees must exhaust all available sick leave before paid time off for organ donation kicks in. AB 1223 expands on this existing law, adding 30 extra days of unpaid leave for those Californians looking to donate an organ.
AB 9: Stop Harassment and Reporting Extension (SHARE) Act.
The new California employment laws also include AB 9. This assembly bill amends current law to expand the statute of limitations for filing certain workplace claims. Existing law allows employees a maximum of one year for filing discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims under FEHA. The SHARE amendment now expands that statute of limitations to three years maximum. Once the DFEH grants an employee the right to sue over the claim, the employee will have one year to file suit.
AB 9 will not retroactively revive claims which have lapsed prior to 2020. However, it is unclear whether AB 9 will apply to existing claims that expired before January 1st of this year.
AB 673: Recovering Civil Penalties for Unpaid Wages.
Assembly Bill 673 amends existing law to include different legal options for people dealing with unpaid wage issues. Prior to this bill, unpaid wage penalties could only be pursued by the Labor Commissioner. Further, penalties awarded to an employee were also shared with the state. Now, however, AB 673 has eliminated these stipulations. Employees can now pursue a $100 penalty for each initial violation and $200 for subsequent violations.
Our California Employment Attorney Fights for Workers
These new California employment laws have already gone into effect. This means that workers who need to donate an organ, file a complaint, or are facing unpaid wage issues have new or expanded legal options. Speaking with an experienced California employment attorney is the best way to take advantage of these new laws.
The Law Office of Christopher Baudino fights for workers. If you are experiencing a hostile work environment, contact our office today. You can request a free consultation online through this portal.