The California State Legislature passed several laws this session that could affect your rights as a worker and your ability to pursue justice against workplace discrimination. Three of the most important new statutes seek to stop unfair pay practices, discrimination based on cannabis usage and in the fast food industry.
Job postings to include salary information
Until now, California employers who post job openings were not required to disclose how much the job paid. But thanks to one of the new workplace discrimination laws, many employers with 15 or more workers must include a salary range in job postings. The law applies to nearly 200,000 businesses and other employers. Among other things, this transparency rule could reduce (or expose) bias in pay based on sex, race or other illegal factors. By seeing what the company is willing to pay a new hire, current workers can compare their own salaries for possible discrepancies.
No more firing for off-hours cannabis
Recreational and medical marijuana have been legal in California for many years now. But you could still get fired for using cannabis in your off hours, even if it did not affect your job performance. That will change in 2024 when another new statute will go into effect that bans terminating a worker for their marijuana use outside of work hours. However, you will still be vulnerable to getting fired if you are high at work, though that can be tough to prove.
Boosted protection for fast food workers
White-collar workers are not the only Californians who can be victimized by discrimination, harassment and other illegal workplace conduct. It’s a big problem in the fast-food industry, but victims often struggle to enforce their legal rights. Yet another new law will make this easier by creating a rebuttable presumption that a fast-food worker who was fired within 90 days of the employer learning about the worker’s protected activity lost their job because of discrimination or retaliation.
Another factor in enforcing your right against workplace discrimination is to work with an attorney experienced in employment law. To get compensation for the damage to your career, you need help understanding the law and the possible strategies available to you.