CA only: sticking it to tech with SB 331

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NDAs play a huge role in enforcing silence around discrimination and harassment and are particularly beloved of tech and entertainment companies. Pinterest, for example, famously bound many of its BIPOC employees with NDAs that prevented them from speaking out about pervasive racist harassment at the company, and NDAs also restricted many women in the entertainment industry from speaking out on MeToo matters. NDAs act as, essentially, a loophole in federal whistleblower law, threatening people who want to speak up about poor treatment at the hands of past employers with loss of pay and possible legal action. Read more about NDAs at the Guardian here.

In 2018, California passed SB 820, which specifically bans NDAs in cases of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sex discrimination. SB 331, or the Silenced No More Act, seeks to complement this bill by banning NDAs in all cases of workplace harassment and discrimination, including along axes of race, disability, age, and religion. SB 331 has passed the State Senate and now faces the Assembly.

If you're in California, please contact your Assemblymember (find out who they are here) and tell them to support the Silenced No More Act. Find a script below for calling, writing, or emailing.

You can also send a ResistBot message by texting PKLNMK to 50409.

( Call and/or Email Script )