A new California law, SB 294, effective January 1, 2026, established the Workplace Know Your Rights Act. The Act requires an employer, on or before February 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, to provide a stand-alone written notice to each current employee of specified workers’ rights. The Act also requires the employer to provide the written notice to each new employee upon hire and to provide the written notice annually to an employee’s authorized representative, if any.

The notice shall contain a description of workers’ rights in the following areas:

(1) The right to workers’ compensation benefits, including disability pay and medical care for work-related injuries or illness, as well as the contact information for the Division of Workers’ Compensation.
(2) The right to notice of inspection by immigration agencies pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 90.2.
(3) Protection against unfair immigration-related practices against a person exercising protected rights.
(4) The right to organize a union or engage in concerted activity in the workplace.
(5) Constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement at the workplace, including an employee’s right under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures and rights under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution to due process and against self-incrimination.

The notice shall also contain both of the following:

(1) A description of new legal developments pertaining to laws enforced by the Labor and Workforce Development Agency that the Labor Commissioner deems material and necessary. The Labor Commissioner shall include a list of those developments, if any, in the template notice described in paragraph (a) of Section 1554.
(2) A list, developed by the Labor Commissioner, of the enforcement agencies that may enforce the underlying rights in the notice. The Labor Commissioner shall include this list in the template notice described in paragraph (a) of Section 1554.

An employer is required to keep records of compliance with the requirements of this section for three years, including the date that each written notice is provided or sent.

The Labor Commissioner is required to develop a template notice that an employer may use to comply with the requirements of Labor Code § 1553. On or before January 1, 2026, the Labor Commissioner shall post the template notice on its internet website so that it is accessible to an employer. The Labor Commissioner shall post an updated template notice annually thereafter. The template notice shall be written in plain terminology that is easily understood by a worker. The Labor Commissioner shall make the template notice available in different languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi. The Labor Commissioner may also provide the template notice in additional languages.

More information about this new law is available on the Labor Commissioner’s website on the Required Posters and Notices page.