Starbucks workers have walked out in dozens of stores today. CNBC reports: “Starbucks Workers United launched an open-ended strike in more than 40 cities Thursday on Red Cup Day, one of the chain’s biggest sales days of the year. The protest, which the union says involves more than 1,000 baristas in over 65 stores, comes after…
Read More →The company behind one of the most popular game franchises of all time is facing egal claims of union-busting. Engadget reports: “The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) has issued formal legal claims against Rockstar Games, which it has accused of union busting. The Grand Theft Auto VI developer last month fired dozens of employees who were organizing.…
Read More →A major strike planned in dozens of cities has members of Congress pushing Starbucks to get back to the negotiating table. CNBC reports: “More than 100 lawmakers urged Starbucks to resume bargaining talks with Workers United, the union representing the coffee giant’s baristas, in letters sent to CEO Brian Niccol on Monday. The two letters, from…
Read More →Hello, accountability advocates! Our deep dive into the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) news archives yields no new citations or enforcement alerts from the Labor Commissioner’s Office over the past day—calm waters in the ongoing battle.
Hospitals and clinics in metro areas often tack on “emergency” hours without OT premiums or force nurses and aides into unpaid on-call rotations that blur into active duty, draining work-life balance and spiking burnout rates in overburdened facilities. This tactic preys on dedicated staff during staffing shortages. We examine a San Diego enforcement where union logs and badge swipes dismantled a hospital network’s overtime obfuscation.
Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower stated: “Healthcare heroes can’t be shortchanged on rest or readiness—on-call must be truly optional and compensated when it turns mandatory. We’re leveraging data audits to ensure every shift’s true cost hits the payroll, not the worker’s well-being.”
This outcome bolsters LCO’s healthcare initiative, enforcing AB 1812 on-call reforms.
Reach 833-LCO-INFO for Thai, Tigrinya, Bengali support—vital lines.
Tomorrow’s tracking on deck. Harvested from DIR depths.
Read More →California’s employment laws never stay still—and 2025 and 2026 are shaping up to bring even more compliance challenges for employers. One of the biggest new laws on the horizon is Senate Bill 294, better known as the Workplace Know Your Rights Act.
This new law adds major notice, training, and recordkeeping requirements for all California employers and aims to ensure workers clearly understand their rights on the job. Here are five key takeaways every California employer needs to know to stay compliant.
1. Annual Written Notice to Employees (Effective February 1, 2026)
Starting February 1, 2026, employers will be required to give employees a standalone written “Know Your Rights” notice every year.
This new rule is designed to make sure every worker in California receives clear, accessible information about their workplace rights—directly from their employer.
2. What Must Be Included in the Notice
The annual Know Your Rights notice must cover a range of critical employment protections, including:
The Labor Commissioner will issue an official notice template by January 1, 2026, and translations must be provided in the languages normally used with employees (if available on the Commissioner’s website).
Tip for Employers: Keep a record of your notice distribution in your HR system or onboarding software. Tracking delivery electronically will make annual compliance much easier.
3. Recordkeeping Requirements: Keep Proof for Three Years
Employers must keep proof of notice delivery for at least three years. This proof can include:
Strong documentation will be key if the Labor Commissioner or another enforcement agency requests verification.
For California HR teams, this is a good time to audit your employee recordkeeping process and ensure that all required workplace postings and notices are organized in one place.
4. New Educational Videos and Employer Resources
The Labor Commissioner’s Office will also release two educational videos by July 1, 2026:
Employers should plan to include these videos in onboarding, annual training, or even all-hands compliance refreshers to demonstrate good-faith efforts at compliance.
For updates on when these materials become available, make sure you are subscribed to receive updates at California Employment Law Report.
5. New Employee Protections and Deadlines
By March 30, 2026, employers must allow employees to designate an emergency contact who should be notified if they are arrested or detained at work.
The law also contains anti-retaliation protections, meaning employers may not retaliate against employees who exercise or assert any of these rights.
In addition, the Labor Commissioner will specify future updates that must be included in the annual notice—so staying current will be essential for ongoing compliance.
Final Thoughts: Get Ready Now for the Workplace Know Your Rights Act
The Workplace Know Your Rights Act (SB 294) is part of California’s broader trend toward greater workplace transparency and employee education.
Employers should start preparing now by:
The post The Workplace Know Your Rights Act: 5 Things California Employers Must Understand Before 2026 appeared first on California Employment Law Report.
Read More →This administration has had plenty of lows. We’ve seen ICE dragging working people from daycares, schools, factories, and homes. We’ve seen federal troops and national guards sent into peaceful cities. We’ve tried to comprehend the incomprehensible threats towards Greenland and Canada. We’ve seen people sent to prisons in countries that they’ve never been to and…
Read More →The Trump Administration is facing a showdown over SNAP benefits as it refuses to fully fund it. BBC News reports: “A US judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), also known as food stamps, and accused the administration of withholding the food aid ‘for political reasons.’…
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Wage and Hour Laws
AB 692 – Employment Contract Repayment Prohibition
AB 692 will apply to employment contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2026, and will apply to all employers in California. Under the new law, it will be unlawful to include terms in employment contracts that require workers to pay employers penalties or fees, or repay costs incurred by the employer on the employee’s behalf, if the employment relationship ends. Some contracts for repayment are still permitted under the law such as tuition repayment, bonuses, apprenticeship programs, or contracts related to the lease, financing, or purchase of residential property. Many of the exceptions are narrow and must be read carefully. Not complying with AB 692 can expose employers to liability, including minimum damages of $5,000 per affected worker, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees and costs associated with the worker having to bring a lawsuit. Employers should audit all existing employment, incentive, and training agreement templates to identify and remove any provisions that may violate AB 692.
SB 294 – Workplace “Know Your Rights” Act
As of February 1, 2026, under Senate Bill (SB) 294 employers must provide a written notice outlining employee rights related to:
– Workers’ compensation benefits
– Immigration agency inspections
– Protection from unfair immigration practices
– Constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement
The Labor Commissioner will provide on its website a template notice by January 1, 2026.
Employers must distribute it annually by February 1, 2026 and to a new employee upon hire. The notice must be provided in a manner the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information. The bill also requires (if the employee requests) that the employer notify the employee’s designated emergency contact if the employee is arrested or detained on their worksite. Employers must notify the contact if the arrest/detention occurs on-site or off-site during work hours when the employer has actual knowledge of the arrest or detention of the employee. The bill carries an anti-retaliation provision and will be enforced by the Labor Commissioner with a penalty of $500 per employee per violation, except that the penalty for a violation of the emergency contact provision will be an amount up to $500 per employee for each day the violation occurs, up to a maximum of $10,00 per employee.
Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Laws
SB 642 Revisions to Equal Pay Act
Effective January 1, 2026, Senate Bill (SB) 642 amends the definition of “pay scale” to “a good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position upon hire.” This bill also prohibits an employer from paying employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of another sex instead of the opposite sex.
Wages now include all forms of compensation (salary, overtime pay, bonuses, stock, stock options, profit sharing and bonus plans, life insurance, vacation and holiday pay, and benefits, etc.) The bill expands to three-years (from two years) the statute of limitations for pay equity claims and allows recovery of lost wages for the entire time during which the violation occurred, up to six years.
Employer Tip: Retain wage and pay data for 3 years for postings and 6 years for defense.
SB 464 Pay Data Reporting
With the passage of Senate Bill 464, California has expanded its existing requirements for employers regarding pay data reporting. Demographic data collected for pay reporting must be stored separately from personnel records.
Beginning January 1, 2027, the bill increases the number of job categories on which the employer must report to 23 job categories (up from 10).
Penalties: Up to $100 per employee (first violation); $200 per employee (subsequent).
Courts must impose penalties upon CRD request.
Tip: “Separate” storage is undefined—may be physical or logical. At this time, there is no publicly posted CRD regulation, guidance document or FAQ’s that define what constitutes “separate.” It’s unclear whether CRD expects employers to maintain physically distinct files or merely ensure that the demographic data is logically or administratively separated (i.e., restricted access, flagged records, etc.) We will continue to monitor for further guidance and updates from the CRD to see if it defines or clarifies “separate” more clearly. In the meantime, employers should adopt most conservative and “best practice” approach until guidance is clarified. Ensure access to demographic/pay-data file is limited (i.e., to those responsible for reporting) and that it’s not routinely accessed by managers reviewing performance or other personnel matters.
SB 617 Cal WARN
Effective January 1, 2026, under Senate Bill (SB) 617 employers must include in WARN notices:
– Whether rapid-response services will be coordinated and by whom
– Local workforce development board contact information
– Standardized job placement/retraining language
– CalFresh(statewide food assistance program) information
– Employer contact details
Note: No change to 60-day notice period, coverage thresholds, or definitions.
Noncompliance may result in up to 60 days’ back pay and benefits per affected employee. Tip: Employers should update WARN templates and processes by end of 2025.
Records Requirement Law
SB 513 – Personnel Files to Include Training or Education Records
Effective January 1, 2026, under Senate Bill (SB) 513, personnel files now include training and education records (not just records employer maintains relating to the employee’s performance or to any grievance concerning the employee).
Each training record must contain:
– Employee name
– Training provider name
– Duration/date of the training
– Core competencies of the training, including skills in equipment or software
– Resulting certificates or qualifications.
Leave Laws
SB 590 – Paid Family Leave – Designated Person
Effective July 1, 2028, Senate Bill (SB) 590 expands benefits under paid family leave to cover care for a “designated person,” meaning any individual who is a blood relative or whose association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Employees must identify the designated person at the time of their first claim and, under penalty of perjury, attest to how the relationship is blood-related or the equivalent of a family relationship. This definition of “designated person” tracks the CFRA.
The Workplace Know Your Rights Act – SB 294, takes effect on January 1st, 2026 and provides requirements for employers to notify employees of their rights related to law enforcement interactions at work, as well as providing the option for employers to notify an emergency contact in the event of an employee’s arrest at the workplace. Weintraub Tobin attorneys Ryan Abernethy and John Slavik discuss the key provisions of the new law, including the penalties for violations.
Watch this episode on YouTube.
Read More →While the world watched the Great Gatsby-esque party at Mar-a-Lago this past weekend, tens of millions of barely-surviving Americans awaited the fate of their November SNAP benefits, which lapsed on November 1 due to the government shutdown. But there is a $5 billion emergency fund for SNAP benefits. President Donald Trump, however, said last week…
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