EMPLOYMENT LAW: DIR Reminds Employer on New Labor Laws for 2011

December 27, 2010

San Francisco – The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has reminded employers about the new labor laws that will take effect in January 2011, as announced in a press statement released in its website recently.

Some of these laws include providing more flexibility to employers and expanding paid leaves for employees. A revised law includes new off-duty meal break exemptions wherein a new section was added to the Labor Code, exempting from off-duty meal break requirements some workers in specific industries who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

In addition, some laws also include extended eligibility in worker’s compensation for public service workers such as firefighters and law enforcement officers. In addition to this, a new law would also require private employers to allow employees to take paid leaves of absence for organ and bone marrow donation.

A new law also establishes new procedures to enforce safety and health regulation and authorizes the DIR’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) to issue citations when an employer has committed violations of the new standards, including serious violations that resulted in serious injuries to the employee.