California toolkit
Quick references for the questions students ask most: which law applies, which agency handles it, and when federal law pushes state law aside. The chapter is always the authority. This page only points you to it.
Who is covered by what
| Workers | Law | Agency | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most private-sector employees | National Labor Relations Act (1935) | NLRB, the National Labor Relations Board | 2, 5 |
| Farmworkers in California | Agricultural Labor Relations Act (1975) | ALRB, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board | 2, 10 |
| City, county, and special-district employees | Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA) | PERB, the Public Employment Relations Board | 2, 9 |
| K–12 and community college employees | Educational Employment Relations Act (EERA) | PERB | 2, 9 |
| State of California employees | Ralph C. Dills Act | PERB | 9 |
| CSU and UC employees (including CSUDH faculty) | Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA) | PERB | 9 |
| Rideshare drivers | AB 1340 (2025) | PERB | 10, 13 |
| Railroads and airlines | Railway Labor Act | National Mediation Board | 2 |
Which agency would I call?
“My boss fired me for organizing.”
In the private sector, file an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB. For a public employer in California, go to PERB.
“I wasn’t paid for my travel time.”
That is a wage claim, so it goes to the Labor Commissioner. The union contract may also have a grievance route.
“The loading dock isn’t safe.”
Cal/OSHA. Under SB 553, most California employers must also keep a written workplace violence prevention plan (Ch. 12).
“My union won’t take my grievance.”
That raises the duty of fair representation. Work out whether the union made a judgment call or acted in an arbitrary, discriminatory, or bad-faith way (Ch. 4).
Preemption in three questions
This is the procedure from Chapter 2, which students asked for more than any other fix. Ask the questions in order.
- Garmon. Is the conduct arguably protected or prohibited by the NLRA? If it is, the NLRB decides and the state generally stays out.
- Machinists. Did Congress mean for this area to be left to economic pressure, with no one regulating it? If so, the state cannot step in.
- If neither applies, a general minimum standard that applies to union and nonunion workers alike usually stands. This is where much of California’s “ceiling” sits.