CNCDA’s 2024 Employment Law Manual was developed by the attorneys at the Littler Mendelson law firm. It covers key topics involving California employment law that impact franchised new car dealers. Topics include:
- Hiring
- Recordkeeping Obligations
- Wage & Hour
- Laws Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
- Leaves of Absence and Workplace Safety
- Privacy Rights
- End of Employment
You can download a PDF copy of the manual by clicking on the link above.
Update History
April 8, 2024 – Recommend retention period for wage records changed from three to four years. (Pages 30, 66)
Appendix D – Sample Third Party Agreement
Appendix C – Sample Service Provider Contract Agreement
Privacy Management Software
Software Options
Given the numerous and complex requirements of the CCPA and CPRA, dealers should seriously consider adopting privacy management software to help them navigate and maintain compliance with these regulations. Privacy management software can simplify the process of addressing regulatory requirements, reduce the risks of non-compliance, and save valuable time and resources for the dealer so they can rededicate those efforts to selling and servicing motor vehicles.
ComplyAuto is a leading choice in privacy management software among dealers and is currently licensed by the CNCDA and endorsed by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), currently representing over 60% of dealerships in California and over 8,000 dealers across the country. By choosing ComplyAuto, dealers benefit from a proven solution that automates the complexities of privacy compliance, including performing data mapping, building a systems inventory, creating a comprehensive privacy policy and Notice at Collection, installing a compliant and effective cookie consent banner, managing vendor contracts and addendums, and automating the many types of consumer privacy requests and navigating their requirements.
Questions
Please do not hesitate to contact ComplyAuto at info@complyauto.com if you have any questions about this compliance manual.
Appendix B – Sample Compliance Checklist
Appendix A – Sample Privacy Policy
No doubt dealers have seen some kind of communication sent from their automakers alerting them to the CCPA. Specifically, this notice comes in the form of an updated data sharing agreement that automakers have encouraged dealers to sign, but what does it all mean? Given that there are multiple versions of these data sharing agreements sent to dealers depending on their data collection practices, we cannot capture every single variation or clause within the agreements here, but we can speak to why the automakers are sending them to you. Dealers who require further clarification or advice should reach out to their in-house counsel or attorneys for more information.
Automaker as a Third Party
Under the definitions of the CCPA, automakers generally qualify as Third Parties. As noted earlier, Third Parties are those vendors who (a) collect consumers’ personal information and (b) are not Service Providers. Because Service Providers are defined in the negative in the CCPA, i.e. what they are not allowed to do with the consumer’s personal information that they collect, Third Parties are essentially vendors who perform these prohibited acts. Meaning, Third Parties can do any of the following things:
- Sell or share the personal information;
- Retain, use, or disclose the personal information for any purpose;
- Retain, use, or disclose the personal information outside of their business relationship with the dealer; or
- Combine the personal information it receives with any other information it collects from other vendors.
Automakers and Third-Party Contracts
The new regulations introduce a new requirement in that Third Parties must sign a contract with the dealer that has very specific requirements and prohibitions. Without this contract, the Third Party cannot collect, use, process, retain, sell, or share the personal information that the dealer has made available to the Third Party.
As discussed in a previous chapter, this contract between the dealer and automakers may contain language that does each of the following:
- Identifying the limited and specific purpose(s) for which the personal information is made available to the Third Party;
- Stating that the personal information is made available only for the limited and specific purpose(s) set forth within this contract;
- Requiring the Third Party to comply with all applicable sections of the CCPA by providing the same level of privacy protection as required by the dealer;
- Granting the dealer the right to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure that the Third Party uses it in a manner that is consistent with the dealer’s obligations under the CCPA and its accompanying regulations;
- Upon receiving written notice from the dealer, taking appropriate steps to stop and remediate unauthorized use of personal information made available to the Third Party; and
- Notifying the dealer as soon as practicable after the Third Party determines that it can no longer meet its obligations under the CCPA or its accompanying regulations.
These clauses are probably included in the data processing agreement that was discussed earlier in this chapter. Dealers who require further clarification or advice should reach out to their in-house counsel or attorneys for more information.
Enforcement & Penalties for Noncompliance
The CCPA imposes strict enforcement measures and penalties for non-compliance and dealers have been among one of the first targets and top priorities in enforcement sweeps announced by the California Attorney General (AG). A press release
announcing the enforcement against a dealership and accompanying enforcement data have one common theme – the AG cares about the technical provisions of the CCPA and will heavily scrutinize the business’s existing practices. Prior to the press release, many thought the AG would just be looking for the more obvious low-hanging fruit. However, the AG cited the dealership for technical violations, such as the failure to have a designated toll-free number and a process for authorized agents to submit CCPA requests. The AG’s enforcement data revealed other common technical violations:
- Non-compliant CCPA service provider contracts.
- Failure to link to CCPA Notice at Collection in marketing emails.
- Failure to acknowledge and respond to requests within designated time limits.
- Missing a clear and easy-to-find “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link (under the latest regulations, the link can now be titled “Your CA Privacy Choices”).
- Requiring that authorized agents provide notarized documentation.
- Requiring government-issued identification for exercising rights.
It is also worth noting that, on several occasions and most notably its complaint against Sephora,
the AG has reinforced its position that a “sale” of information occurs even when there is simply an exchange of information for “valuable consideration” such as that provided in the context of analytics and retargeting services with companies like Meta and Google. As discussed earlier in Chapter 5, since most dealerships deploy third-party tracking cookies for retargeting ads, this means that almost every dealership is “selling” or “sharing” information as those terms are defined under the CCPA. In short, the enforcement data highlights that a lackadaisical approach to CCPA compliance simply is not good enough. It is crucial for dealers to understand the potential consequences and take necessary steps to ensure compliance.
Monetary Penalties
Non-compliance with the CCPA can result in significant financial penalties to the business, ranging from $2,500 per violation for non-intentional violations to $7,500 per violation for intentional violations.
These penalties can be assessed on a per-consumer basis, which means the total amount can escalate rapidly.
Private Right of Action
The CCPA provides a limited private right of action for consumers in the event of certain data breaches allowing them to seek damages ranging from $100 to $750 per incident or actual damages, whichever is greater.
While the private right of action does not cover all CCPA violations, this has not deterred plaintiff lawyers from filing lawsuits (including class actions) based on the CCPA. Most of these lawsuits involve data breaches, inaccurate privacy policies, and notice at collection requirements. Accordingly, dealers may still face legal challenges and reputational damage even in the absence of direct enforcement action from the AG.
California Privacy Protection Agency (Agency)
The CCPA establishes the Agency as an enforcement authority with the power to issue fines against businesses for non-compliance
and allocated at least $10 million from California’s General Fund annually for its operation.
The Agency’s funding structure, which relies on penalties levied against non-compliant businesses, creates an incentive for the Agency to actively and eagerly pursue enforcement actions to hold businesses accountable.
Data Breaches
The CCPA heightens the risks associated with data breaches as it grants consumers the right to sue businesses for damages resulting from unauthorized access, theft, or disclosure of their personal information. Ensuring that robust data security measures are in place is essential to minimize the risk of breaches and the associated legal, financial, and reputational consequences.
Disability & Foreign Language Requirements
Dealerships should also be mindful of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and foreign language requirements of the CCPA.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
CCPA regulations require that disclosures such as the privacy policy, Notice at Collection, cookie consent banners, and online consumer request portals meet compliance with WCAG 2.1 to ensure that web content is accessible to people with disabilities.
Adhering to WCAG 2.1 can also help dealerships minimize the risk of accessibility-related lawsuits such as those relating to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To meet WCAG 2.1 guidelines, dealers must optimize their websites for screen readers, offer alternative text for images, and ensure that navigation is user-friendly and accessible to a wide range of users. Dealers should conduct a thorough review of their websites and consult with web developers or accessibility experts to implement the necessary changes to achieve compliance.
Foreign Language Requirements
All disclosures under the CCPA must be provided in the languages in which the dealer ordinarily communicates with its consumers or for which it posts other signs or disclosures in a foreign language.
For example, if a dealer commonly negotiates in Spanish or has signs and other disclosures in Spanish, all CCPA-related disclosures must be offered in Spanish as well. Dealers must identify the languages in which the dealership ordinarily communicates with its customers and ensure that all CCPA-related materials are translated accurately and professionally into those languages.
CCPA regulations specifically require employee training to ensure that businesses maintain compliance and that their staff members are knowledgeable about the California privacy requirements.
Additionally, by investing in employee training and adopting best practices, dealers can promote a culture of privacy compliance, improve customer relations, and minimize the risk of non-compliance with the CCPA. It is also important to note that insufficient employee training would very likely be considered a negative factor by the California Privacy Protection Agency (Agency) when weighing potential enforcement actions against non-compliant businesses.
Identifying Applicable Personnel
According to the regulatory language, businesses should ensure that all individuals responsible for handling consumer inquiries about the business’s privacy practices or compliance with the CCPA are informed of all the requirements of the CCPA and its accompanying regulations.
Due to the ambiguity of this language, dealerships should consider providing training to all consumer-facing employees and human resources personnel (meaning that service technicians probably do not need to take CCPA training if they do not regularly interface with customers). This approach ensures that staff members who interact with customers, job applicants, or employees are well-equipped to effectively address any CCPA-related questions or concerns (or at least know where to direct them) and prevent potential consumer or employee complaints.
Frequency of Training
While neither the law nor regulations specify how often employees should be trained on the CCPA, it is recommended that dealerships provide yearly training for all relevant staff members in order to keep employees updated on the latest privacy regulations and dealership practices. Additionally, new employees who will be responsible for handling consumer inquiries about privacy practices should receive training as part of their onboarding process to ensure that they are familiar with CCPA requirements from the outset of their employment.
