5 Employment Bills Passed by California Lawmakers in 2023

5 Employment Bills Passed by California Lawmakers in 2023

September 14, 2023, marked the end of California’s State Legislative Session. As expected, the state legislature has passed several employment-law-related bills that will be presented to Governor Gavin Newsom for signature. He will have until October 14, 2023, to either sign or veto the bills. If passed, the bills discussed in this article will be effective from January 1, 2024.

California Passes Bill Banning Caste-Based Discrimination

California Passes Bill Banning Caste-Based Discrimination

California is set to become the first state to explicitly ban caste discrimination. Senate Bill 403 (“SB 403”), which was passed last Tuesday, September 5, would integrate “caste” into the definition of “ancestry” as a characteristic protected from discrimination by California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act and Fair Employment Housing Act. If signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom before October 14, 2023, the law will go into effect on January 1, 2024.

Can a Staffing Agency be Found Liable for a Host Employer’s Mistreatment of its Employees?

Can a Staffing Agency be Found Liable for a Host Employer’s Mistreatment of its Employees?

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has found a staffing agency not liable for alleged mistreatment of two of its female employees at the host employer where they were placed. In Arredondo v. Elwood Staffing Services, Inc., the 5th Circuit Court affirmed summary judgment in favor of the staffing company, Elwood Staffing Services, and released them from the lawsuit.

UPS and Teamsters Labor Union Enter $30 Billion Collective Bargaining Agreement

UPS and Teamsters Labor Union Enter $30 Billion Collective Bargaining Agreement

On July 25, the United Parcel Service and labor union International Brotherhood of Teamsters reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement for approximately 340,000 UPS workers. The deal was reached a week before a threatened strike that could have disrupted a quarter of the nation’s package shipments and cost the economy billions.