Compliance Stuff

Governor Newsom recently approved several employment bills that will significantly impact the rights of employees in California starting on  January 1, 2025 . DWT recommends that employers take note of these new laws and get ahead of the game by reviewing their employee handbooks, personnel policies, and employment contracts before the end of the year. SB 399: "Captive Audience" Meeting Ban With the approval of SB 399, California joined a growing number of states that have now enacted bans on employer-sponsored "captive audience" meetings. Effective January 1, 2025, SB 399, a union-backed bill known as the California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act, will prohibit California employers from requiring their employees attend mandatory meetings on religious or political matters, including anti-unionization. Employers may not retaliate against employees for refusing to attend such meetings. Employees who are scheduled to work during the meeting must be paid...

  Last Friday, Governor Newsom signed SB 399 –   The California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act   into law.   SB 399, which will take effect on January 1, 2025, prohibits private and public employers in California from subjecting, or threatening to subject, an employee “to discharge, discrimination, retaliation, or any other adverse action because the employee declines to attend an employer-sponsored meeting or affirmatively declines to participate in, receive, or listen to any communications with the employer or its agents or representatives, the purpose of which is to communicate the employer’s opinion about religious or political matters.” SB 399, which adds section 1137 to the California Labor Code, sets forth the following definitions for purposes of defining the scope of the protections: “Political matters” means matters relating to elections for political office, political parties, legislation, regulation, and the decision to join or support...

At the end of its recent session, the California Legislature passed SB 399, the “California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act.” S B 399 prohibits employers from taking adverse employment actions against employees who decline to attend an employer-sponsored (“captive audience”) meeting, or participate in employer driven communications, where the purpose is to relate the employer’s opinion about religious or political matters. The bill is now on the Governor’s desk. He has until the end of September to sign or veto it . If enacted, California would join a growing list of states attempting to ban “captive audience” meetings about religious and/or political matters. Other states with similar laws include Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. SB 399’s Key Provisions SB 399 would limit an employer’s ability to communicate with employees regarding political or religious matters during mandatory meetings that occur at work. The bill’s ...