Monday, August 26, 2013

AB 11 Increases Protections for Volunteer Firefighters. Reserve Peace Officers

Current state law requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to 14 days of temporary leave for volunteer firefighters for fire or law enforcement training.  AB 11 expands this to any employee who is a volunteer firefighter, or reserve peace officer, or emergency rescue personnel, and also expands the qualifying training to include fire, law enforcement or emergency rescue training.

Under the law, any volunteer firefighter or reserve peace officer who is fired, threatened with being fired, demoted, suspended, or otherwise discriminated against because they took time off for qualifying training is entitled to legal and equitable remedies including reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and benefits.