Expansion of California Family Rights Act Pending for Employees

A bill is pending in the California legislature that would expand the rights of family leave for more employees under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). While some provisions already apply to workers in larger companies, the new proposed law would apply those rights to employees in smaller businesses as well as expand the rights overall to all workers. If you would like to learn more about your rights as an employee in California, call or contact an experienced employment law attorney today to schedule a consultation.

Expansion of the CFRA

Currently, the CFRA applies to employers with 50 or more employees, and the parental leave component of the law also applies to employers with 20 or more workers. Under the new law, the entirety of the CFRA would apply to California employers with five or more employees. In addition, as the law currently stands, spouses who work for the same company are only granted 12 weeks total for parental leave. Under the new law, each parent would be entitled to 12 weeks of leave even if they work for the same employer.

The proposed law also expands the rights under the CFRA to include covered leave to care for domestic partners, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, and mothers or fathers-in-law. The law clarifies that a child of a domestic partner also qualifies under the law for covered leave. The bill expands covered leave for military exigency related to covered active duty or a call to active duty. Covered exigencies include arranging for or providing childcare, enrolling a child in school or daycare, attending meetings with school, making legal or financial arrangements, seeking military benefits, attending counseling, attending military ceremonies, and more. The expansion of these benefits would allow the CFRA to more closely mirror the Federal Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which extends similar benefits and protections.

Impact on California Workers

If the proposed expansion to the CFRA passes, it could potentially impact the majority of workers in California. Benefits that did not exist prior would be available to employees who work for businesses that employ between five and 20 workers, and benefits would be extended for employees at companies with 20 to 50 workers. The military exigency covered leave and expansion of benefits to spouses working for the same company also apply to all workers that are employed by a company with at least five employees. This may mean that as an employee you will be entitled to covered leave that currently is not available to care for loved ones or to manage matters related to military service.

Call or Contact an Employment Law Attorney Today

The passage of this new law has the potential to benefit the majority of workers in California when it comes to covered leave. To learn more about this or to discuss your legal options after a potential violation of your employment rights, call or contact a knowledgeable employment law attorney in your area today.