Existing law establishes the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, headed by the Labor Commissioner, within the Department of Industrial Relations, for the purpose of enforcing labor laws. Existing law prescribes the duties and rights of employers and employees relating to specified labor laws, including, among other things, payment of wages, working conditions, paid sick days, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and notice requirements related to inspections conducted by an immigration agency.
This bill would establish the Workplace Know Your Rights Act. The bill would require an employer to annually provide a stand-alone written notice to each current employee, and to each new employee upon hire, of workers' rights under state and federal law. The bill would list the areas of workers' rights to be covered by the notice, including, among other things, the categories described above, as well as the constitutional rights of employees when interacting with law enforcement at the workplace, as defined by the bill. The bill would also require the notice to contain a list of the state agencies at which an employee may file a labor, fair employment, data privacy, or civil rights claim.
This bill would require the Labor Commissioner, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop a template notice and would require an employer to use the template notice to comply with the notice requirement described above. The bill would also require the Labor Commissioner, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop a video for employees advising them of their rights under the areas listed above and to develop a video for employers advising them of their requirements under those areas.
This bill would require an employer, if an employee has designated an emergency contact, to notify that designated emergency contact in the event of an enforcement action against the employee in which an employee is arrested or detained. The bill would authorize the designated emergency contact to collect all wages owed to the employee if an employee is arrested or detained under those circumstances.
This bill would prohibit an employer from discharging, threatening to discharge, demoting, suspending, or in any manner discriminating or retaliating against an employee for exercising or attempting to exercise their rights under the bill, as provided.
This bill would require the Labor Commissioner to enforce the bill, as specified, but would also alternatively authorize an employee who has suffered a violation of the bill, or their exclusive representative, to bring a civil action for damages, and would further alternatively authorize enforcement by a public prosecutor. The bill would make an employer who violates the bill subject to a civil penalty of $500 per employee for each violation.

Statutes affected:
SB 294: 245 LAB
02/06/25 - Introduced: 245 LAB
03/17/25 - Amended Senate: 245 LAB