New Work & Family Rights Effective January 1, 2018

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    California's New Parent Leave Act (SB 63)

    • Provides 12 weeks of job-protected bonding leave to workers in California at companies with 20-49 employees within 75 miles of where they work. To be eligible a worker must have been on the job 12 months and worked 1250 hours in the past year.
    • Existing law covers workers at companies with 50+ employees.

    California's Higher Wage Replacement Rate for SDI and PFL (AB 908):

    • The benefit amounts under State Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave will increase from 55% to 60% or 70% depending on income, with the lowest wage workers receiving 70% of their normal wages.
    • Claimants must apply on or after Jan. 1, 2018 to receive the higher rate.

    San Francisco Paid Parental Leave Ordinance Covers Workers at Smaller Companies

    • San Francisco’s law requiring employers to supplement 6 weeks of Paid Family Leave benefits such that parents earn 100% of their salary during bonding leave applies to workers in SF at companies with at least 20 employees worldwide.
    • The law has been phased in over the last year and until Jan. 1, 2018 covers workers at SF companies with at least 35 employees worldwide.

    San Francisco Lactation Accommodation Ordinance

    • All employers in SF must provide nursing parents reasonable break time and a private space that is safe, sanitary, has a place to sit and surface to place a pump, an electrical outlet, and access to refrigeration and a sink in close proximity.
    • Existing CA and federal law require time and space to pump milk, but are unclear as to what the space must contain.

DISCLAIMER

This Fact Sheet is intended to provide accurate, general information regarding legal rights relating to employment in California. Yet because laws and legal procedures are subject to frequent change and differing interpretations, Legal Aid at Work cannot ensure the information in this Fact Sheet is current nor be responsible for any use to which it is put. Do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney or the appropriate agency about your rights in your particular situation.