IN SUMMARY
Governor Newsom and legislative Democrats handed a legislation prohibiting employers from requiring staff to attend “captive audience meetings.” It was the final victory of the labor motion on the state Capitol.
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Beginning January 1, California employers will be unable to require staff to attend any conferences associated to their political or spiritual views, or how their bosses take into consideration unions.
That is established by a brand new legislation, SB 399which is among the most notable of the same old wave of latest labor legal guidelines that corporations are anticipated to comply with annually.
The laws handed when the Legislature’s Democratic supermajority sought to help an ascending wave of unionization all through California and the nation.
The legislation prohibits necessary office conferences by which the employer discusses his or her “opinion on religious or political matters,” together with the choice to hitch a union. Staff can’t be disciplined for refusing to attend such a gathering beneath SB 399.
Proponents of the brand new legislation, together with the California Federation of Labor, say such conferences can intimidate staff when exercising their proper to unionize, though employer retaliation They’re already unlawful.
Enterprise teams, such because the California Chamber of Commerce, opposed the brand new legislation, arguing that it might infringe on employers’ proper to free speech and their capability to debate the results of legal guidelines or rules on their industries. The legislation contains exceptions for workers, equivalent to these working for political events, whose work contains speaking about politics.
California joins 9 different largely Democratic states which have just lately banned these so-called conferences with captive audiences. The passage of the legislation was a victory for the labor motion, which is getting ready for the arrival of the Trump administration subsequent month.
Below President Joe Biden, the Nationwide Labor Relations Board has additionally sought to curb conferences, which for many years earlier boards have typically allowed so long as employers don’t threaten staff or withhold advantages from those that help a union.
In November, the board of administrators dominated in a case involving AmazonCaptive viewers conferences violate federal legislation that ensures staff the proper to unionize, however many labor specialists count on the choice to be reversed as soon as President-elect Donald Trump takes workplace. In that case, California’s ban on gatherings would stay in impact, though employers have been sanctioned. difficult different states’ captive viewers legal guidelines in courtroom.
Different new labor legal guidelines that go into impact January 1 embrace:
- A rise within the minimal wage, from $16 an hour to $16.50. The otants in November They defeated an effort to additional enhance the wage to $18however present legislation mechanically adjusts the minimal wage throughout inflationary durations.
- Employers can even want to permit staff to make use of their free time extra flexibly. The AB 2123they will not drive staff to make use of as much as two weeks of trip earlier than taking paid household go away, the state program that offers staff some advantages for taking day off to look after a new child or sick member of the family.
- For its half, the AB 2499says staff can use their sick go away to satisfy jury responsibility. That new legislation additionally expands the explanation why staff can take unpaid protected go away when they’re victims of against the law.
Some adjustments will apply to particular industries. Agricultural staff will be capable to work utilizing paid sick daysavoiding working outdoor in periods of wildfire smoke, excessive warmth, or flooding. Artists and animators could have the proper to reject that studios and manufacturing corporations use “digital replicas” of your AI-generated photos or voices to breed or change your work. In July 2025, the home staff who’re employed by home cleansing businesses or nannies to work in shoppers’ personal houses might be topic for the primary time to office security legal guidelines.
- This text was initially printed by CalMatters.
