Governor Newsom has officially signed Senate Bill (SB) 399 into law, which enacts the California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act (Act) to take effect January 1, 2025. California employers have been monitoring its passage because of its potential impact on an employer’s ability to lawfully communicate its position and educate employees regarding a labor organization.
The new California law attempts to prohibit mandatory employer meetings regarding labor organizations known as captive audience meetings. Specifically, an employer is prohibited from subjecting or threatening to subject an employee to discharge, discrimination, or retaliation because the employee declines to attend an employer-sponsored meeting or refuses to listen to any communications with the employer or its agents where the purpose is to communicate the employer’s opinion about religious or political matters which includes labor organizations. An employer who violates this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of five hundred dollars ($500) per employee for each violation.
Read the full Article
Senate Bill 399: Governor Newsom Signs Law To Curtail Employer Mandatory Meetings With Employees During Union Organizing
Jackson Lewis | Sep 2024
Law Articles
Captive Audience Meetings Now Banned By State Law in California
CDF Labor Law | Sep 2024
California Bans “Captive Audience” Meetings: 5 Steps You Need to Take to Comply With New Law
Fisher Phillips | Sep 2024
Related Articles
California Legislature Sends Governor Bill Prohibiting Employer ‘Captive Audience’ Meetings
Ogletree | Sep 2024
California Assembly Committee Revives State’s Captive Audience Meeting Ban
Sheppard Mullin | Aug 2024
SHRM Opposes California Bill that Would Weaken ‘Captive-Audience’ Meetings
SHRM | Aug 2024
SHRM Ask An Advisor
Get expert help on a wide range of HR topics. Access experienced, certified HR Knowledge
Advisors by phone, chat & email
Connect with An Advisor now: https://www.shrm.org/hrhelp
SHRM Members' Survey
Tell us what you think about the Express Request self-service feature in a few quick questions.
Related Content
HR must always include human intelligence and oversight of AI in decision-making in hiring and firing, a legal expert said at SHRM24. She added that HR can ensure compliance by meeting the strictest AI standards, which will be in Colorado’s upcoming AI law.
The proliferation of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and the ensuing expected increase in productivity and efficiency, could help usher in the four-day workweek, some experts predict.
Advertisement
An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.
Advertisement