The 2015 legislative year was very active in the labor and employment policy arena. Overall, the California Chamber of Commerce was very successful with bills that we supported, bills that we negotiated amendments to avoid opposing, as well as bills that we strongly opposed. Below is a summary of what happened on some of the most significant bills. Reducing Litigation Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed two CalChamber supported bills this year that will reduce employment litigation: • AB 1506 (R. Hernández; D-West Covina), designated as a job creator, provides employers with a 33-day right to cure technical violations on an itemized wage statement before civil litigation under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) can be pursued. AB 1506 is a great step toward PAGA reform and included an urgency clause, therefore going into effect immediately upon being signed on October 2. • SB 358 (Jackson; D- Santa Barbara) will reduce employment litigation by clarifying ambiguous terms regarding gender equity pay, making the existing standards consistent with federal and state gender discrimination laws. SB 358 reinforces the illegality of basing compensation on gender, yet still provides employers the ability to determine appropriate wages for employees for nongender-related business reasons, such [...]
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