A Review of 2024 Labor & Employment Legislation in California
The 2024 California legislative session saw the passage of a number of new and important labor and employment laws.
In June 2024 and effective immediately as emergency legislation, California enacted the first significant reforms to the Private Attorneys General Act, or PAGA, in more than a decade.
Springboarding off of the workplace violence legislation effective in 2024, the Legislature continued to expand the law to protect victims of violence, including family members who are victims of violence, and expanded the definition of a "qualifying act of violence" for the purposes of protective leave.
Another key area for the Legislature is employer speech. Likely influenced by the current political climate, SB 399 seeks to end captive audience meetings during work hours, and prohibits employers from subjecting, or threatening to subject, employees to discrimination, retaliation, or adverse action because an employee declines to attend employer meetings intended to share the employer's opinion on "religious" or "political" matters.
Anti-discrimination initiatives were also at the forefront of California law. Beginning January 1, 2025, under SB 1100 and with limited exceptions, employers may not include in job postings that applicants are required to have a driver's license. Separately, under SB 1137, where an individual claims multiple bases of discrimination, it may be necessary to determine whether the discrimination occurred based on a combination of protected characteristics rather than each characteristic in isolation.
Other new and amended statutes will require employers to revisit company policies and litigation strategies.
