California employees have new rights and benefits in 2024. Here are some of the most important changes to the law that workers should know about.

Paid sick leave expanded and reproductive loss leave granted

Starting January 1, California employers are required to provide workers at least five paid sick days, up from three days. In another new law, California employers must now grant employees up to five days off following a “reproductive loss,” which is defined as a miscarriage or stillbirth or a failed adoption, in-vitro fertilization, or surrogacy. 

Reproductive loss leave is an addition to a law that took effect last year that gives workers up to 12 weeks of family leave in a calendar year and extends the definition of a family member to include a “designated person,” which could mean an individual related by blood or whose association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship. Bereavement leave was also expanded to five days, which do not need to be taken in a row. 

Cannabis use outside of work hours

Assembly Bill 2188 makes it “unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment … if the discrimination is based upon the person’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace.”

This means employers can no longer use hair or urine tests that detect “psychoactive cannabis metabolites” — evidence of past cannabis use from days or months ago — as a basis for terminating employees.

In addition, Senate Bill 700 makes it unlawful for an employer to request information on a job application relating to prior cannabis use.

Employers must pay for food handler cards

California law requires workers at restaurants who handle food to obtain a food handler card within 30 days of their date of hire. Senate Bill 476, which took effect January 1, shifts the burden of compensation related to obtaining the card to the employer. The law states that employers must relieve employees from work duties while they are taking a training course and examination and compensate them for their “hours worked” while in training or taking the exam, and any necessary expenditures or losses associated with the employee obtaining their food handler card. 

Fast-food minimum wage now $20/hour

Fast-food restaurants with more than 60 locations are now required to pay California employees at least $20 an hour.

Health care workers’ minimum wage increasing

As the state faces a health care staffing shortage, a law will set in motion annual minimum wage increases for certain healthcare workers over the next few years starting June 1. The minimum wage for covered health care workers at large health systems will increase to $23 an hour, stair-stepping up until reaching $25 an hour in June 2026. Smaller or rural health care facilities will see slower increases.

Other minimum wage increases 

• Starting January 1, the general California minimum wage increased from $15.50 an hour to $16 an hour. (Some cities and counties already have higher minimum wages than that; UC Berkeley maintains a chart.)
• California employees who earn salaries of less than $66,560 a year are now eligible for overtime pay.
• Computer software employees are eligible for overtime if they earn less than $55.58 an hour (up from $53.80) or $115,763.35 a year (up from $112,065.20).

Keller Grover is here to help workers with their employment-related disputes. We can help you better understand your rights, protections and options. 

In more than 25 years litigating fraud and employment cases, we have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients and class members. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation.