On October 9, 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown finally addressed the bulk of the labor and employment-related bills passed by the California state legislature during the first half of the 2011-2012 session. Although Governor Brown vetoed several proposed bills on the stated ground that they potentially would harm California businesses, some of those bills he did sign into law likely will do just that when they officially become law on January 1, 2012. The new employment laws relate to various and diverse areas such as hiring practices, required leaves of absence, health insurance, and worker classification.

The following provides a brief description of the most significant new employment laws that were signed by Governor Brown...