The California Legislature has completed its work for this session, and three bills concerning employment issues survived the process and have been sent to Governor Brown for his consideration and possible signature. All three of these prospective laws have been labeled “job killers” by the California Chamber of Commerce which is lobbying heavily against the bills. Opposing the Chamber on these issues are the state’s unions and the organized plaintiffs’ bar.
AB 1209 would require employers to report wage payments by gender. Such reporting would fuel the fires of lawsuits under the state’s recent Fair Pay Act under which a “pay gap” is presumed to be a result of illegal discrimination.
SB 33 would outlaw arbitration clauses in certain consumer agreements. This legislation is another example of the hostility of the California courts and legislature to arbitration agreements, including in the employment context. This new bill seems contrary to binding U.S. Supreme Court precedent, and would likely not survive a judicial challenge.
SB 63 would extend employee parental leave protections to employers with 20 or more workers. Currently the law applies only to employers with 50 or more workers. This law would obviously be a burden on smaller employers.
We can expect many of the bills that did not pass the legislature this year – such as required predictive scheduling for retailers and restaurants (SB 878), and universal health care — to reappear in the next session. This ever-vigilant blog, of course, will keep you posted.