Changes to Employment laws in California

California employers, take note! The laws are changing! Just this week, new laws have been enacted which affect employees and/or employers, including:

1)      Minimum Wage:    AB10 increases the minimum wage in California from $8 per hour to $9 per hour.   Fortunately, employers have about a year in order to prepare for this, as it goes into effect on July 1, 2014.   Minimum wage will then increase again effective January 1, 2016 to $10 per hour.  

2)    Disability Benefits: SB770 provides for additional benefits for employees who take time off of work in order to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or parent-in-law. As it stands, employees who take time off to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, or domestic partner are able to apply for partial wage replacement benefits with the Employment Development Department. The law expands such benefits so that employees can seek wage replacement when off of work caring for these additional individuals within the employee's family. This law will take effect July 1, 2014. (Note that this law does not expand leave rights, but only addresses eligibility to obtain wage replacement benefits.)

Employees may have questions about these new laws, given that they've been in the news quite a bit lately and this bring about various questions and concerns about these newly expanded benefits.