California has been on the forefront of taking action to protect workers in recent years, with court rulings and new laws providing more protection than ever before it seems. And, as California has been the focal point of the so-called #MeToo movement, national media attention has been focused on progress in the state as well.
Our readers may have seen news articles that detail a couple newer laws that were signed into effect recently. A recent news article detailed how the new protections seem to be a direct result of the #MeToo movement and efforts to shine a brighter light on sexual harassment in the workplace. For starters, the new laws provide more time for victims of sexual harassment to report the alleged violations. Proponents of extending the time to report violations say that some victims of sexual harassment in the workplace simply were not aware of the previous timeframe restrictions to report. The new law should help.
The other new law bans forced arbitration as a condition of employment, according to the recent report. That means that employers cannot force new or potential employees to forego their right to take employment law issues to the court. Some employers had been getting quite comfortable with inserting forced arbitration clauses into employment agreements and arbitration was, as a result, being forced upon sexual harassment victims as the only avenue to address their claims.
New sexual harassment laws can only provide more help for victims of this type of conduct in the workplace. Anyone in California who believes they may have been the victim of sexual harassment in the workplace may need to get more information about their legal options.
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