Employment News

California workers will gain rights and protections in 2026 as new California employment laws take effect. Changes run the gamut from a higher minimum wage to protected time off for victims of a violent crime, reflecting a broad update to California employment laws in 2026. Here’s a synopsis of noteworthy California employment law changes by category: Pay and other compensation The annual minimum wage adjustment for inflation means a bump to $16.90 an hour … [Read more...]

A new California employee rights law, SB 294, recently signed by the governor and effective in February 2026, aims to keep workers’ rights front and center. A flurry of federal executive orders in 2025 has made it difficult for both employers and employees to understand how best to comply with existing law or recognize when rights are violated, according to a fact sheet from state Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes, D-San Bernardino, who sponsored the bill. “This confusion over state and federal laws … [Read more...]

According to the American Economic Liberties Project, approximately one in 10 workers have employment agreements that require them to repay routine job training costs if they leave their position before a specified period ends. Beginning next year, these so-called “stay-or-pay” agreements would largely be prohibited in California under AB 692, legislation that was sent to Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 23. Critics argue that stay-or-pay agreements restrict worker mobility by effectively … [Read more...]

We’ve seen this happen before, and workers need to know about it so they can protect their rights, incomes and livelihoods — especially when they may need a worker misclassification attorney to step in. This time, it was a nationwide janitorial and commercial cleaning company that operates under the CleanNet brand, along with its four California area operators, who allegedly misclassified employees as independent contractors. The company, which denied the allegations, recently agreed to a … [Read more...]