Labor Laws in the New Year: It’s 2015

With the New Year, labor law changes are coming again. Some might wish that the legislature would simply leave things alone, but the fact of the matter is that things are always changing and that includes action on the part of California employers who want to stay in compliance with labor laws and avoid costly fines and potentially, even costlier litigation.

This year, the California Legislature is making sure that employer regulation stays on the top of everyone’s minds. 574 bills were introduced in 2014 that mentioned the word “employer.” In comparison, there were only 186 bills mentioning the word “employer” introduced in 2013.

It’s important to note that most of those 574 bills were not passed. It’s just as important to note that the several that did pass were not signed into law by the governor. One bill would have penalized employers for limiting the job prospects for unemployed applicants or for discriminating against them due their unemployed status. This bill was blocked by veto.

Having said that, there are a number of significant new laws that could affect private employers in the state of California as well as all employees of private employers in the state that went into effect January 1, 2015. Check back soon for a listing of some of the changes that you might need to be aware of in order to make sure you know how to protect yourself in the workplace.

For information on the latest news and updates regarding California employment law get in touch with the employment law experts at Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik.