Employee Freedom of Speech Protections Enacted
Effective October 25, 2023, employers cannot fire, discipline, or penalize an employee because they:
- Declined to attend an employer-sponsored meeting discussing the employer’s religious or political opinions;
- Declined to receive employer-sponsored information about the employer’s religious or political opinions; or
- Reported a violation of these protections.
The law does not apply to a religious employer nor do the protections prohibit employers from:
- Communicating legally required information;
- Having religious/political meetings or communications so long as they’re completely voluntary for employees to attend or receive; or
- Notifying employees about any information that’s necessary for the employee’s job duties.
Action Items
- Employers must conspicuously post a workplace notice of these employee rights by September 28, 2023 (30 days from the effective date).
Please note the effective date has been corrected to October 25, 2023.
Equal Pay Law’s New Antidiscrimination Protections
Effective October 25, 2023, employers may not discriminate in the workplace against employees based on their race by paying them less than other employees, of another race, who are doing comparable work with comparable skill, effort, and responsibility. Previously, the law only protected against this type of discrimination when it was based on sex. The law permits wage differentials (e.g., seniority or merit increase systems) that do not discriminate based on sex or race.
