California Workplace Know Your Rights Act (SB 294)

Summary

California Workplace Know Your Rights Act (SB 294)

Text

Labor Commissioner's Office
New Labor Laws in California
LCO Letter to All Employers - New Laws 2026
NEW: Workplace Know Your Rights Notice (SB 294)
Senate  Bill (SB) 294 enacted
Labor Code sections 1550-1559
,  also known as the
Workplace Know Your Rights Act
.  The Act requires that an employer provide an annual notice to their employees  regarding certain workplace rights, including the right to have their employer  notify a designated emergency contact if an employee is arrested or detained at  work.
The Labor Commissioner has developed a notice template that complies with the law and can be used by employers. The notice will be updated annually. The notice currently is available in
English
,
Spanish
,
Chinese (simplified)
,
Chinese (traditional)
,
Vietnamese
,
Korean
,
Tagalog
,
Hindi
,
Punjabi
,
Arabic
, and
Urdu
.
SB294 Employer Video - English
SB294 Employer Video - Spanish
SB294 Worker Video - English
SB294 Worker Video - Spanish
There are two primary components of the Workplace Know Your Rights Act:
Annual  Workplace Know Your Rights Notice
All California employers must provide all employees a  notice of their workplace rights by
February 1, 2026
and every  year after that.
The annual notice to employees  must include seven categories, including information about:
the right to notice of an I-9 inspection by         immigration agencies;
protection         against unfair immigration-related practices;
constitutional         rights when interacting with law enforcement in the workplace;
labor         organizing rights;
workers’         compensation;
a         description of new laws affecting workplace rights as determined by the         Labor Commissioner; and
and a         list of the enforcement agencies that may enforce the underlying rights         in the notice.
An employer must provide the notice to employees in a  language the employer normally uses with the employees when discussing  business, which should be a language employees understand.
Contacting  a Designated Emergency Contact if an Employee is Detained or Arrested
If  an employee has asked an employer to notify a designated emergency contact, an  employer must notify the designated contact if the employee is arrested or  detained on the worksite or, when an employer has actual knowledge, if the  employee is arrested or detained during work hours but not on the worksite.  Therefore,
starting January 1, 2026,
an employer must notify  an employee’s emergency contact in the event of an arrest or detention.
By March 30, 2026
, an employer must provide employees the  opportunity to name emergency contacts and to indicate whether the emergency  contact should be notified if the employee is arrested or detained.
Labor Commissioner – SB 294 Notice Template
The Labor Commissioner has developed a notice template that complies with the law and can be used by employers. The notice will be updated annually. The notice is currently available in the below languages.
English
Chinese (simplified)
Tagalog
Hindi
Urdu
Arabic
Spanish
Chinese (traditional)
Vietnamese
Korean
Punjabi
SB294 Employer Video - English
SB294 Employer Video - Spanish
SB294 Worker Video - English
SB294 Worker Video - Spanish
The Labor Commissioner’s Office provides information and resources for workers and employers on new laws in California. The materials below explain new labor laws that apply to many workplaces in California.
The Garment Worker Protection Act
Warehouse Quotas
Recall Rights
Minimum Wage
Overtime for Agriculture Workers
Questions
What’s New
The Garment Worker Protection Act (Senate Bill 62)
Senate Bill 62, also known as the Garment Worker Protection Act, went into effect on January 1, 2022. The new law addresses the proper payment of employees in the garment industry as well as the responsibility for parties contracting to have garment operations performed in several important ways.
Visit the
Labor Commissioner’s portal of  information on garment work in California
Frequently  Asked Questions on the Garment Worker Protection Act (SB62)
Warehouse Quotas (Assembly Bill 701)
Assembly Bill 701 went into  effect on January 1, 2022. Warehouse workers in California now have protections  from quotas that violate labor laws. Employers must also provide information on  quotas that employees have to meet while working.
Frequently  Asked Questions on Assembly Bill 701
Recall Rights (SB 93)
Employees of certain  hospitality and service industry employers who were laid off for COVID-19  related reasons must be notified of job openings for the same or similar  positions as the ones they last held. They must be offered available jobs, with  priority based on length of service, before new employees can be hired.
Frequently  Asked Questions on Recall Rights
Flyer  on Recall Rights (English)
Folleto  sobre el derecho a regresar (Spanish)
Minimum Wage $15.00/hour Phase in from 2017-2023 (Senate Bill 3)
Starting January  1, 2023, the minimum wage is $15.50/hour for all employers in California.
Some cities and counties have higher minimum  wages than the state’s rate. There is a
list of City and County minimum wages in California
maintained by UC Berkeley.
In 2017, Senate Bill 3  started a phase in of requirements to raise California’s minimum wage to $15.00  an hour. The increase in minimum wage was different for large employers (26 or  more employees) and small employers (25 or fewer employees).
If a local entity (city  or county) has adopted a higher minimum wage, employees must be paid the local  wage where it is higher than the state or federal minimum wage rates.
Frequently  Asked Questions on Senate Bill 3
Information on minimum  wage in California
Overtime for Agriculture Workers (Assembly Bill 1066)
In 2016, Assembly Bill 1066 created a timetable for  agricultural workers to receive overtime pay so that they will gradually  receive overtime pay on the same basis as workers in most other industries  (after 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week).
Starting January 1, 2023 employers  with 25 or fewer employees must pay agriculture workers overtime after 9 hours  per day or 50 hours per week. For large employers with 26 or more employees  since January 1, 2022, must pay agriculture workers overtime after 8 hours in a  day or 40 hours in a week.
Information  on Overtime Pay for Agriculture Workers
Frequently  Asked Questions on Assembly Bill 1066
Questions
Send questions about labor  laws to
[email protected]
to get in touch with the Labor  Commissioner’s Office
What's
New
Labor Commissioner Revokes Garment Manufacturer’s License for  Labor Law Violations and Informs Employers of New Law for 2022
California’s Minimum Wage to Increase  to $15 per Hour for Large Employers, $14 per Hour for Small Employers
California Labor Commissioner Launches Online  Wage Claim Application
Revised
July 3, 2026

Retrieval chunks

• #1

  Labor Commissioner's Office New Labor Laws in California LCO Letter to All Employers - New Laws 2026 NEW: Workplace Know Your Rights Notice (SB 294) Senate Bill (SB) 294 enacted Labor Code sections 1550-1559 , also known as the Workplace Know Your Rights Act . The Act requires that an employer provide an an…

• #2

  an employer must notify an employee’s emergency contact in the event of an arrest or detention. By March 30, 2026 , an employer must provide employees the opportunity to name emergency contacts and to indicate whether the emergency contact should be notified if the employee is arrested or detained. Labor Commiss…

• #3

  Minimum Wage $15.00/hour Phase in from 2017-2023 (Senate Bill 3) Starting January 1, 2023, the minimum wage is $15.50/hour for all employers in California. Some cities and counties have higher minimum wages than the state’s rate. There is a list of City and County minimum wages in California maintained by UC Ber…