The tech industry has been roiled by waves of layoffs, with tens of thousands of workers losing their jobs in recent months. After Tesla billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter in October, he abruptly slashed nearly half its workforce, then went back for more.
But all that upheaval may lead to stronger layoff protections for millions of California workers.
Citing recent events in the tech industry, state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would force employers to give workers more notice of mass layoffs and would extend these protections to contract workers, who currently are excluded under state and federal law.
“Innovative industries like tech are a critical part of our state’s economy, and we know that tech companies start here and grow here because of our highly skilled workforce,” Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), who introduced the legislation, said in a statement. “This bill is about protecting that workforce, from the engineers to the janitors, and making sure they’re treated fairly during a job transition. To be pro tech, we have to be pro tech-worker.”
The proposed legislation would require employers who lay off more than 50 workers at a time to give employees 90 days’ notice. It would also prohibit employers from pressuring workers to sign away their rights through waivers, nondisclosure agreements or non-disparagement agreements in exchange for severance pay.
Curtailing the use of such agreements would be a major development in the tech industry,...
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