Employment Law Commentary - October 2014

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

By Colette Coles

Welcome back to our annual review of new laws that may impact California employers! This year's highlights include California's new paid sick leave law, additions to sexual harassment training for "abusive conduct," an extension of the Fair Employment and Housing Act's protections to unpaid interns and volunteers, and liability for businesses that use contract workers. All newly-enacted laws are effective January 1, 2015 unless otherwise stated.

BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW

AB 1522 – California's Paid Sick Leave Law.

By Ian Johnston

AB 1522 requires employers to provide paid sick leave to employees who work 30 or more days in a year. It covers all employees with limited exceptions, such as certain home health workers and those covered by collective bargaining agreements. Accrual begins 30 days after the start of employment, at which point employees will earn one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. The law