CHAPTER 2. Solicitation of Employees by Misrepresentation [970. - 977.]

Cal. Labor Code - LAB 2.
in effect

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 970. Section 970.

No person, or agent or officer thereof, directly or indirectly, shall influence, persuade, or engage any person to change from one place to another in this State or from any place outside to any place within the State, or from any place within the State to any place outside, for the purpose of working in any branch of labor, through or by means of knowingly false representations, whether spoken, written, or advertised in printed form, concerning either: (a) The kind, character, or existence of such work; (b) The length of time such work will last, or the compensation therefor; (c) The sanitary or housing conditions relating to or surrounding the work; (d) The existence or nonexistence of any strike, lockout, or other labor dispute affecting it and pending between the proposed employer and the persons then or last engaged in the performance of the labor for which the employee is sought.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 971. Section 971.

Any person, or agent or officer thereof, who violates Section 970 is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or imprisonment for not more than six months or both.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 972. Section 972.

In addition to such criminal penalty, any person, or agent or officer thereof who violates any provision of Section 970 is liable to the party aggrieved, in a civil action, for double damages resulting from such misrepresentations. Such civil action may be brought by an aggrieved person or his assigns or successors in interest, without first establishing any criminal liability.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 973. Section 973.

If any person advertises for, or seeks employees by means of newspapers, posters, letters, or otherwise, or solicits or communicates by letter or otherwise with persons to work for him or the person for whom he is acting, or to work at any shop, plant, or establishment while a strike, lockout, or other trade dispute is still in active progress at such shop, plant, or establishment, he shall plainly and explicitly mention in such advertisement or oral or written solicitations or communications that a strike, lockout, or other labor disturbance exists. The person inserting any such advertisement, solicitation, or communication in a newspaper, on a poster, or otherwise, shall insert in such advertisement, solicitation or communication his own name and, if he is representing another, the name of the person he is representing and at whose direction and under whose authority he is inserting the advertisement, solicitation or communication. The appearance of this name in connection with such advertisement, solicitation or communication is prima facie evidence as to the person responsible for the advertisement, solicitation or communication.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 976. Section 976.

No person shall publish or cause to be published any advertisement, solicitation or communication in any newspaper, poster or letter, offering employment as a salesman, broker or agent, whether as an employee or independent contractor, which advertisement, solicitation or communication (a) is willfully designed to mislead any person as to compensation or commissions which may be earned; or (b) falsely represents the compensation or commissions which may be earned. This section shall not be applicable to any publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or other publication, who publishes an advertisement, solicitation or communication in good faith, without knowledge of its false, deceptive or misleading character.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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