10 Quick California Employment Law Tips for 2025 | Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

If we continue to 2025, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some important Californian employment law and compliance articles that should be on your radar for the rest of the year. Here are my top 10 for 2025:

No. 1: Minimum wage. The minimum wage of the state of California rose to $ 16.50 per hour on January 1. This means that the liberated salary threshold rose to $ 68,640 per year. Computer software employees have to earn at least 56.97 per hour, $ 9,888.13 per month and $ 118,657.40 per year to maintain the exemption.

Recommendation: Take a quick look at your employees and make sure you hit the new threshold and make sure that nobody falls below. Also note that cities and counties in California may have higher minimum wages than the state minimum.

No. 2 (a): arbitration agreements. Check your arbitration agreements to ensure that you do not apply to disputes that do not have to do with the employment of your employee and that the duration does not exceed the employee's working hours. Also ensure that the reciprocity is present and formulate the beneficiaries of third -party agreements, such as: B. related companies or personnel companies. This will appeal to a very difficult case law from 2024.

No. 2 (b): arbitration agreements. Also ensure that your arbitration agreements have been signed or that someone can prepare an explanation with personal knowledge that the agreement of an employee has been signed. The courts in 2023 and 2024 attacked arbitration agreements on the “contract education theory”.

Recommendation: Consider adopting mandatory arbitration procedures with clear guideline recognition. If you use arbitration agreements, make sure that you can carry out reports about everyone who has signed an arbitration agreement, anyone who does not have, and everyone who has decided if necessary. Check and possibly your arbitration agreement and execution process in accordance with the overestimation mentioned above.

No. 3: Immigration. Be ready, with the second Trump administration, for further I-9 audits, more audits in general and an increase in visits on site.

Recommendation: In the near future, take a self-examination for all immigration inputs, especially the I-9S. This applies in particular if you are in the construction, hospitality, food processing or agricultural industries, all of which were a focus during the first Trump administration.

No. 4: Discrimination due to intersectionality. This new California law makes it clear that discrimination is illegal due to a combination of protected classes (such as race and gender). The guidelines of most companies are already dealing. With regard to discrimination due to “protective hairstyles” (such as braids, locs and twists), is illegal.

Recommendation: Check your guidelines for discrimination and harassment and make sure you cover intersectionality.

No. 5: Paga reform “appropriate steps”. The reform from last summer to the state private walks will not change significantly, but there are a few breaks for employers, including a significant break (up to 85 percent discount) for Paga penalties if employers have taken “reasonable steps” to comply with the Labor Act.

Recommendation: Create a check of the wage lesson, create and distribute written guidelines, if you have not yet done this, train employees and superiors in these written guidelines and document the training and take appropriate corrective measures against managers who do not implement guidelines and document such measures. These four elements are listed in the Paga Reform Act.

No. 6: Independent contractors who offer “professional services”. As part of the new law on freelance workers' protection, every hiker must have professional services (defined by the Labor Act 2778, which is somewhat wide) a written contract in which the amount paid for a period of $ 120 days is more than $ 250.

Recommendation: Determine whether your independent contractors will probably offer “professional services” and state a written submission agreement.

No. 7: Industry -specific minimum wages increases. The minimum wage of the healthcare system for employers in healthcare increased to $ 23 per hour on January 1st. Some additional minimum wage increases for healthcare workers are planned for June and July. The minimum salaries for managers in this industry are also affected. In the Fast food industry, the state has set a minimum wage of 20 US dollars per hour. Many cities and counties have their own minimum wages, but in contrast to the state laws that have an impact on health care, and Fast -Food workers do not affect the minimum salary of the city and the district. The minimum wages in the industry for others are 21 US dollars an hour, and others are $ 18 per hour.

Recommendation: Make sure you know where you are.

No. 8: Whistleblower -rights. California demands that employers publish a message at the workplace, which informs employees about their rights according to the state whistleblower laws. The California Labor Commissioner has published a model announcement here.

Recommendation: Make sure your message will be published.

No. 9: Paid illness days for victims of violence. From 2499, employment protection expanded by allowing employees to use all available vacation, personal vacation, paid health vacation or compensation time if they or their family members are victims of “qualified acts of violence”.

Recommendation: Check your holiday and accommodation guidelines to ensure that you tackle these extended protective measures.

No. 10: paid family vacation. In the event of a disability that begins on or after January 1, employers do not have to request that the employees use their paid leisure time before using the family vacation services paid in California as part of the state disability insurance program. Previously, employers could request the employees to take up to be used for up to two weeks before they could receive services as part of the state program.

Recommendation: Check your vacation guidelines to ensure that you comply with this new law. Everything else! Do not forget the other changes in the middle of the mid -2024, including the following changes: You do not need to need driver's license requirements for an application application, unless driving is a job function. San Diego County and Los Angeles County have the box laws for applications for applications. Cal-Ohha has a new standard for violence and plan for interiors as well as a need for needs.

Here is a productive and conformer 2025!