Pass the YVONNE Too Act (SB 294)

This initiative requires employers to provide a stand-alone written notice of worker rights to each new employee at the time of hiring, separate from any other onboarding paperwork, so that it cannot be buried in a stack of forms. The bill is named in honor of Yvonne Gonzalez, a warehouse worker in the Central Valley who was detained by immigration enforcement agents during her shift and whose family was not notified for over 48 hours. Under SB 294, employees would have the right to designate an emergency contact who must be notified within two hours if the worker is arrested, detained, or removed from the workplace by any law enforcement agency. The notice must be printed in the employee’s primary language and must include information about the right to legal counsel, the right to remain silent, and the right to refuse voluntary searches of personal belongings. Employers with 25 or more workers would be required to conduct an annual training session for supervisors and managers on how to respond when enforcement agents arrive at a worksite, including the legal limits on what agents can access without a judicial warrant. The bill was introduced after a series of high-profile worksite enforcement operations in agricultural and food processing facilities across Fresno, Kern, and Tulare counties that disrupted operations and left families without information about detained relatives. Business groups have raised concerns about the compliance cost for small employers, while labor advocates argue that the protections are minimal and necessary to prevent the chilling effect that workplace raids have on workers’ willingness to report safety violations and wage theft. SB 294 passed the Senate Labor Committee on a 4-1 vote and is now headed to the full Senate floor.