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Article 2. Obligations Of Employer of California Labor Code >> Division 3. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.

An employer shall in all cases indemnify his employee for losses caused by the employer's want of ordinary care.
An employer shall in all cases take reasonable and necessary precautions to safeguard musical instruments and equipment, belonging to an employed musician, located on premises under the employer's control. In the event such equipment is damaged or stolen as a result of the employer's failure or refusal to take such reasonable and necessary precautions, the employer shall be liable to the owner for repair or replacement thereof if the employed musician has taken reasonable and necessary precautions to safeguard the musical instruments and equipment. For the purposes of this section: (a) "employer" includes a purchaser of services and the owner of premises upon which an employed musician is working; and (b) "employee" is any employed musician working on premises which are under an employer's control.
(a) Any employer, employee association, or other entity otherwise providing hospital, surgical, or major medical benefits to its employees or members is solely responsible for notification of its employees or members of the conversion coverage made available pursuant to Part 6.1 (commencing with Section 12670) of Division 2 of the Insurance Code or Section 1373.6 of the Health and Safety Code.
  (b) Any employer, employee association, or other entity, whether private or public, that provides hospital, medical, or surgical expense coverage that a former employee may continue under Section 4980B of Title 26 of the United States Code, Section 1161 et seq. of Title 29 of the United States Code, or Section 300bb of Title 42 of the United States Code, as added by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-272), and as may be later amended (hereafter "COBRA"), shall, in conjunction with the notification required by COBRA that COBRA continuation coverage will cease and conversion coverage is available, and as a part of the notification required by subdivision (a), also notify the former employee, spouse, or former spouse of the availability of the continuation coverage under Section 1373.621 of the Health and Safety Code, and Sections 10116.5 and 11512.03 of the Insurance Code.
  (c) On or after July 1, 2006, notification provided to employees, members, former employees, spouses, or former spouses under subdivisions (a) and (b) shall also include the following notification: "Please examine your options carefully before declining this coverage. You should be aware that companies selling individual health insurance typically require a review of your medical history that could result in a higher premium or you could be denied coverage entirely."
Any employer, other than a self-insurer, employee association or other entity otherwise providing hospital, surgical or major medical benefits to its employees or members shall also make available conversion coverage which complies with the provisions of Part 6.1 (commencing with Section 12670) of Division 2 of the Insurance Code and Section 1373.6 of the Health and Safety Code.
In any action to recover damages for a personal injury sustained within this State by an employee while engaged in the line of his duty or the course of his employment as such, or for death resulting from personal injury so sustained, in which recovery is sought upon the ground of want of ordinary or reasonable care of the employer, or of any officer, agent or servant of the employer, the fact that such employee has been guilty of contributory negligence shall not bar a recovery therein where his contributory negligence was slight and that of the employer was gross, in comparison, but the damages may be diminished by the jury in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to such employee. It shall be conclusively presumed that such employee was not guilty of contributory negligence in any case where the violation of any law enacted for the safety of employees contributed to such employee's injury. It shall not be a defense that:
  (a) The employee either expressly or impliedly assumed the risk of the hazard complained of.
  (b) The injury or death was caused in whole or in part by the want of ordinary or reasonable care of a fellow servant. No contract, or regulation, shall exempt the employer from any provisions of this section.
(a) An employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties, or of his or her obedience to the directions of the employer, even though unlawful, unless the employee, at the time of obeying the directions, believed them to be unlawful.
  (b) All awards made by a court or by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement for reimbursement of necessary expenditures under this section shall carry interest at the same rate as judgments in civil actions. Interest shall accrue from the date on which the employee incurred the necessary expenditure or loss.
  (c) For purposes of this section, the term "necessary expenditures or losses" shall include all reasonable costs, including, but not limited to, attorney's fees incurred by the employee enforcing the rights granted by this section.
  (d) In addition to recovery of penalties under this section in a court action or proceedings pursuant to Section 98, the commissioner may issue a citation against an employer or other person acting on behalf of the employer who violates reimbursement obligations for an amount determined to be due to an employee under this section. The procedures for issuing, contesting, and enforcing judgments for citations or civil penalties issued by the commissioner shall be the same as those set forth in Section 1197.1. Amounts recovered pursuant to this section shall be paid to the affected employee.
When death, whether instantaneously or otherwise, results from an injury to an employee caused by the want of ordinary or reasonable care of an employer or of any officer, agent, a servant of the employer, the personal representative of such employee shall have a right of action therefor against such employer, and may recover damages in respect thereof, for and on behalf of the surviving spouse, children, dependent parents, and dependent brothers and sisters, in order of precedence as stated, but no more than one action shall be brought for such recovery.
(a) Any employer providing health benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1001, et seq.) shall not provide an exception for other coverage where the other coverage is entitlement to Medi-Cal benefits under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, or medicaid benefits under Subchapter 19 (commencing with Section 1396) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code. Any employer providing health benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 shall not provide an exception for the Medi-Cal or medicaid benefits.
  (b) Any employer providing health benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 shall not provide that the benefits payable are subject to reduction if the individual insured has entitlement to Medi-Cal or medicaid benefits.
  (c) Any employer providing health benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 shall not provide an exception for enrollment for benefits because of an applicant's entitlement to Medi-Cal benefits under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, or medicaid benefits under Subchapter 19 (commencing with Section 1396) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code.
  (d) The State Department of Health Services shall consider health benefits available under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 in determining legal liability of any third party for medical expenses incurred by a Medi-Cal or medicaid recipient under Section 14124.90 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and Subchapter 19 (commencing with Section 1396) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code.
Any employer who offers health care coverage, including employers and insurers, shall comply with the standards set forth in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 3750) of Part 1 of Division 9 of the Family Code and Section 14124.94 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
Any contract or agreement, express or implied, made by any employee to waive the benefits of this article or any part thereof, is null and void, and this article shall not deprive any employee or his personal representative of any right or remedy to which he is entitled under the laws of this State.
(a) No employer, whether private or public, shall discontinue coverage for medical, surgical, or hospital benefits for employees unless the employer has notified and advised all covered employees in writing of any discontinuation of coverage, inclusive of nonrenewal and cancellation, but not inclusive of employment termination or cases in which substitute coverage has been provided, at least 15 days in advance of such discontinuation.
  (b) If coverage is provided by a third party, failure of the employer to give the necessary notice shall not require the third party to continue the coverage beyond the date it would otherwise terminate.
  (c) This section shall not apply to any employee welfare benefit plan that is subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
(a) All employers, whether private or public, shall provide notification to former employees, along with the notification required by federal law pursuant to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-272), of the availability of continued coverage for medical, surgical, or hospital benefits, a standardized written description of the Health Insurance Premium Program established by the State Department of Health Services pursuant to Section 120835 of the Health and Safety Code and Section 14124.91 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. The employer shall utilize the standardized written description prepared by the State Department of Health Services pursuant to subdivision (b).
  (b) The State Department of Health Services shall prepare and make available, on request, a standardized written description of the Health Insurance Premium Program, at cost.
(a) It is the responsibility of all employers, whether public or private, to provide to all eligible employees an outline of coverage or similar explanation of all benefits provided under employer-sponsored health coverage, including, but not limited to, provider information for health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations.
  (b) All employers, whether public or private, shall provide to employees, upon termination, notification of all continuation, disability extension, and conversion coverage options under any employer-sponsored coverage for which the employee may remain eligible after employment with that employer terminates.
(a) Any employer, whether private or public, that offers its employees an employer-managed deferred compensation plan shall provide to each employee, prior to the employee's enrollment in the plan, written notice of the reasonably foreseeable financial risks accompanying participation in the plan, historical information to date as to the performance of the investments or funds available under the plan, and an annual balance sheet, annual audit, or similar document that describes the employer's financial condition as of a date no earlier than the immediately preceding year.
  (b) Within 30 days after the end of each quarter of the calendar year, the employer, who directly manages the investments of a deferred compensation plan, shall provide, to each employee enrolled in a deferred compensation plan offered by the employer, a written report summarizing the current financial condition of the employer, summarizing the financial performance during the preceding quarter of each investment or fund available under the plan, and describing the actual performance of the employee's funds that are invested in each investment or fund in the plan.
  (c) The obligations described in subdivisions (a) and (b) may be performed by a plan manager designated by the employer, who may contract with an investment manager for that purpose.
  (d) If an employee is enrolled in a deferred compensation plan that is self-directed through a financial institution, the requirements set forth in this section shall be deemed to have been met.
(a) A person or entity shall not enter into a contract or agreement for labor or services with a construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor, where the person or entity knows or should know that the contract or agreement does not include funds sufficient to allow the contractor to comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws or regulations governing the labor or services to be provided.
  (b) There is a rebuttable presumption affecting the burden of proof that there has been no violation of subdivision (a) where the contract or agreement with a construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor meets all of the requirements in subdivision (d).
  (c) Subdivision (a) does not apply to a person or entity who executes a collective bargaining agreement covering the workers employed under the contract or agreement, or to a person who enters into a contract or agreement for labor or services to be performed on his or her home residences, provided that a family member resides in the residence or residences for which the labor or services are to be performed for at least a part of the year.
  (d) To meet the requirements of subdivision (b), a contract or agreement with a construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor for labor or services shall be in writing, in a single document, and contain all of the following provisions, in addition to any other provisions that may be required by regulations adopted by the Labor Commissioner from time to time:
  (1) The name, address, and telephone number of the person or entity and the construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor through whom the labor or services are to be provided.
  (2) A description of the labor or services to be provided and a statement of when those services are to be commenced and completed.
  (3) The employer identification number for state tax purposes of the construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor.
  (4) The workers' compensation insurance policy number and the name, address, and telephone number of the insurance carrier of the construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor.
  (5) The vehicle identification number of any vehicle that is owned by the construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor and used for transportation in connection with any service provided pursuant to the contract or agreement, the number of the vehicle liability insurance policy that covers the vehicle, and the name, address, and telephone number of the insurance carrier.
  (6) The address of any real property to be used to house workers in connection with the contract or agreement.
  (7) The total number of workers to be employed under the contract or agreement, the total amount of all wages to be paid, and the date or dates when those wages are to be paid.
  (8) The amount of the commission or other payment made to the construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor for services under the contract or agreement.
  (9) The total number of persons who will be utilized under the contract or agreement as independent contractors, along with a list of the current local, state, and federal contractor license identification numbers that the independent contractors are required to have under local, state, or federal laws or regulations.
  (10) The signatures of all parties, and the date the contract or agreement was signed.
  (e) (1) To qualify for the rebuttable presumption set forth in subdivision (b), a material change to the terms and conditions of a contract or agreement between a person or entity and a construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor must be in writing, in a single document, and contain all of the provisions listed in subdivision (d) that are affected by the change.
  (2) If a provision required to be contained in a contract or agreement pursuant to paragraph (7) or (9) of subdivision (d) is unknown at the time the contract or agreement is executed, the best estimate available at that time is sufficient to satisfy the requirements of subdivision (d). If an estimate is used in place of actual figures in accordance with this paragraph, the parties to the contract or agreement have a continuing duty to ascertain the information required pursuant to paragraph (7) or (9) of subdivision (d) and to reduce that information to writing in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (1) once that information becomes known.
  (f) A person or entity who enters into a contract or agreement referred to in subdivisions (d) or (e) shall keep a copy of the written contract or agreement for a period of not less than four years following the termination of the contract or agreement. Upon the request of the Labor Commissioner, any person or entity who enters into the contract or agreement shall provide to the Labor Commissioner a copy of the provisions of the contract or agreement, and any other documentation, related to paragraphs (1) to (10), inclusive, of subdivision (d). Documents obtained pursuant to this section are exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code).
  (g) (1) An employee aggrieved by a violation of subdivision (a) may file an action for damages to recover the greater of all of his or her actual damages or two hundred fifty dollars ($250) per employee per violation for an initial violation and one thousand dollars ($1,000) per employee for each subsequent violation, and, upon prevailing in an action brought pursuant to this section, may recover costs and reasonable attorney's fees. An action under this section shall not be maintained unless it is pleaded and proved that an employee was injured as a result of a violation of a labor law or regulation in connection with the performance of the contract or agreement.
  (2) An employee aggrieved by a violation of subdivision (a) may also bring an action for injunctive relief and, upon prevailing, may recover costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
  (h) The phrase "construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor" includes any person, as defined in this code, whether or not licensed, who is acting in the capacity of a construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor.
  (i) (1) The term "knows" includes the knowledge, arising from familiarity with the normal facts and circumstances of the business activity engaged in, that the contract or agreement does not include funds sufficient to allow the contractor to comply with applicable laws.
  (2) The phrase "should know" includes the knowledge of any additional facts or information that would make a reasonably prudent person undertake to inquire whether, taken together, the contract or agreement contains sufficient funds to allow the contractor to comply with applicable laws.
  (3) A failure by a person or entity to request or obtain any information from the contractor that is required by any applicable statute or by the contract or agreement between them, constitutes knowledge of that information for purposes of this section.
  (j) For the purposes of this section, "warehouse" means a facility the primary operation of which is the storage or distribution of general merchandise, refrigerated goods, or other products.
(a) As used in this section:
  (1) (A) "Client employer" means a business entity, regardless of its form, that obtains or is provided workers to perform labor within its usual course of business from a labor contractor.
  (B) "Client employer" does not include any of the following:
  (i) A business entity with a workforce of fewer than 25 workers, including those hired directly by the client employer and those obtained from, or provided by, any labor contractor.
  (ii) A business entity with five or fewer workers supplied by a labor contractor or labor contractors to the client employer at any given time.
  (iii) The state or any political subdivision of the state, including any city, county, city and county, or special district.
  (2) "Labor" has the same meaning provided by Section 200.
  (3) "Labor contractor" means an individual or entity that supplies, either with or without a contract, a client employer with workers to perform labor within the client employer's usual course of business. "Labor contractor" does not include any of the following:
  (A) A bona fide nonprofit, community-based organization that provides services to workers.
  (B) A bona fide labor organization or apprenticeship program or hiring hall operated pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement.
  (C) A motion picture payroll services company as defined in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (f) of Section 679 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.
  (D) A third party who is a party to an employee leasing arrangement, as defined by Rule 4 of Section V of the California Workers' Compensation Experience Rating Plan-1995 (Section 2353.1 of Title 10 of the California Code of Regulations), as it read on January 1, 2014, except those arrangements described in subrule d of Rule 4 of Section V, if the employee leasing arrangement contractually obligates the client employer to assume all civil legal responsibility and civil liability under this act.
  (4) "Wages" has the same meaning provided by Section 200 and all sums payable to an employee or the state based upon any failure to pay wages, as provided by law.
  (5) "Worker" does not include an employee who is exempt from the payment of an overtime rate of compensation for executive, administrative, and professional employees pursuant to wage orders by the Industrial Welfare Commission described in Section 515.
  (6) "Usual course of business" means the regular and customary work of a business, performed within or upon the premises or worksite of the client employer.
  (b) A client employer shall share with a labor contractor all civil legal responsibility and civil liability for all workers supplied by that labor contractor for both of the following:
  (1) The payment of wages.
  (2) Failure to secure valid workers' compensation coverage as required by Section 3700.
  (c) A client employer shall not shift to the labor contractor any legal duties or liabilities under Division 5 (commencing with Section 6300) with respect to workers supplied by the labor contractor.
  (d) At least 30 days prior to filing a civil action against a client employer for violations covered by this section, a worker or his or her representative shall notify the client employer of violations under subdivision (b).
  (e) Neither the client employer nor the labor contractor may take any adverse action against any worker for providing notification of violations or filing a claim or civil action.
  (f) The provisions of subdivisions (b) and (c) are in addition to, and shall be supplemental of, any other theories of liability or requirement established by statute or common law.
  (g) This section does not prohibit a client employer from establishing, exercising, or enforcing by contract any otherwise lawful remedies against a labor contractor for liability created by acts of a labor contractor.
  (h) This section does not prohibit a labor contractor from establishing, exercising, or enforcing by contract any otherwise lawful remedies against a client employer for liability created by acts of a client employer.
  (i) Upon request by a state enforcement agency or department, a client employer or a labor contractor shall provide to the agency or department any information within its possession, custody, or control required to verify compliance with applicable state laws. Upon request, these records shall be made available promptly for inspection, and the state agency or department shall be permitted to copy them. This subdivision does not require the disclosure of information that is not otherwise required to be disclosed by employers upon request by a state enforcement agency or department.
  (j) The Labor Commissioner may adopt regulations and rules of practice and procedure necessary to administer and enforce the provisions of subdivisions (b) and (i) that are under his or her jurisdiction.
  (k) The Division of Occupational Safety and Health may adopt regulations and rules of practice and procedure necessary to administer and enforce the provisions of subdivisions (c) and (i) that are under its jurisdiction.
  (l) The Employment Development Department may adopt regulations and rules of practice and procedure necessary to administer and enforce the provisions of subdivisions (b) and (i) that are under its jurisdiction.
  (m) A waiver of this section is contrary to public policy, and is void and unenforceable.
  (n) This section shall not be interpreted to impose individual liability on a homeowner for labor or services received at the home or the owner of a home-based business for labor or services received at the home.
  (o) This section shall not be interpreted to impose liability on a client employer for the use of an independent contractor other than a labor contractor or to change the definition of independent contractor.
  (p) This section shall not be interpreted to impose liability on the following:
  (1) A client employer that is not a motor carrier of property based solely on the employer's use of a third-party motor carrier of property with interstate or intrastate operating authority to ship or receive freight.
  (2) A client employer that is a motor carrier of property subcontracting with, or otherwise engaging, another motor carrier of property to provide transportation services using its own employees and commercial motor vehicles, as defined in Section 34601 of the Vehicle Code.
  (3) A client employer that is not a household goods carrier based solely on the employer's use of a third-party household goods carrier permitted by the Public Utilities Commission pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 5101) of Division 2 of the Public Utilities Code to move household goods.
  (4) A client employer that is a household goods carrier permitted by the Public Utilities Commission pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 5101) of Division 2 of the Public Utilities Code subcontracting with, or otherwise engaging, another permitted household goods carrier to provide transportation of household goods using its own employees and motor vehicles, as defined in Section 5108 of the Public Utilities Code.
  (5) A client employer that is a cable operator as defined by Section 5830 of the Public Utilities Code, a direct-to-home satellite service provider, or a telephone corporation as defined by Section 234 of the Public Utilities Code, based upon its contracting with a company to build, install, maintain, or perform repair work utilizing the employees and vehicles of the contractor if the name of the contractor is visible on employee uniforms and vehicles.
  (6) A motor club holding a certificate of authority issued pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 12160) of Part 5 of Division 2 of the Insurance Code when it contracts with third parties to provide motor club services utilizing the employees and vehicles of the third-party contractor if the name of the contractor is visible on the contractor's vehicles.
(a) (1) At the time of hiring, an employer shall provide to each employee a written notice, in the language the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information to the employee, containing the following information:
  (A) The rate or rates of pay and basis thereof, whether paid by the hour, shift, day, week, salary, piece, commission, or otherwise, including any rates for overtime, as applicable.
  (B) Allowances, if any, claimed as part of the minimum wage, including meal or lodging allowances.
  (C) The regular payday designated by the employer in accordance with the requirements of this code.
  (D) The name of the employer, including any "doing business as" names used by the employer.
  (E) The physical address of the employer's main office or principal place of business, and a mailing address, if different.
  (F) The telephone number of the employer.
  (G) The name, address, and telephone number of the employer's workers' compensation insurance carrier.
  (H) That an employee: may accrue and use sick leave; has a right to request and use accrued paid sick leave; may not be terminated or retaliated against for using or requesting the use of accrued paid sick leave; and has the right to file a complaint against an employer who retaliates.
  (I) Any other information the Labor Commissioner deems material and necessary.
  (2) The Labor Commissioner shall prepare a template that complies with the requirements of paragraph (1). The template shall be made available to employers in such manner as determined by the Labor Commissioner.
  (3) If the employer is a temporary services employer, as defined in Section 201.3, the notice described in paragraph (1) must also include the name, the physical address of the main office, the mailing address if different from the physical address of the main office, and the telephone number of the legal entity for whom the employee will perform work, and any other information the Labor Commissioner deems material and necessary. The requirements of this paragraph do not apply to a security services company that is licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs and that solely provides security services.
  (b) An employer shall notify his or her employees in writing of any changes to the information set forth in the notice within seven calendar days after the time of the changes, unless one of the following applies:
  (1) All changes are reflected on a timely wage statement furnished in accordance with Section 226.
  (2) Notice of all changes is provided in another writing required by law within seven days of the changes.
  (c) For purposes of this section, "employee" does not include any of the following:
  (1) An employee directly employed by the state or any political subdivision thereof, including any city, county, city and county, or special district.
  (2) An employee who is exempt from the payment of overtime wages by statute or the wage orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission.
  (3) An employee who is covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement if the agreement expressly provides for the wages, hours of work, and working conditions of the employee, and if the agreement provides premium wage rates for all overtime hours worked and a regular hourly rate of pay for those employees of not less than 30 percent more than the state minimum wage.