2016 Employment Bills Moving Through The CA Legislative Process

Seyfarth Synopsis: Pending new bills that have now passed their house of origin would (i) expand DLSE enforcement authority, (ii) impose advance scheduling requirements on restaurant, grocery, and retail employers, (iii) extend Fair Pay Act provisions to additional protected classes, (iv) require employers to disclose pay scales to applicants while prohibiting employers to ask about salary history, (v) forbid employers to obtain or consider certain criminal history in their employment decisions, (vi) require retail and grocery establishments to pay double wages on Thanksgiving, (vii) forbid employers to require extra documents to verify authorization to work and create a new right of action for victims of “unfair immigration-related practices,” and (viii) expand the scope of parental leave. We will continue to monitor these bills to see if they reach the Governor’s desk.

 

Gideon Tucker, a 19th century jurist, once famously observed: “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.” Can California employers be blamed for harboring similar sentiments now? Friday, June 3rd, marked the last day for bills to pass out of their house of origin in the California Legislature. Here is a summary of some key employment bills that made it through (followed by some significant bills that did not). Each will pose further challenges to California businesses if it becomes law.

 

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