Accuchex Blog

CA Labor Laws: The List of Recent Job Killers

Posted by Tristan Ruhland on Oct 7, 2014 7:25:05 AM

ca-labor-laws-job-killersSeveral proposals that will make things more difficult as well as more costly to conduct business here in California passed the state legislature right before the close of the current legislative session. Ca labor laws have been at the forefront of the legislature recently.

A group of lawmakers rejected a bill that would have allowed unproven wage liens, which would have been detrimental for jobs here. Also, the California Chamber of Commerce was able to secure several amendments that will minimize the impact of the paid sick leave bill. This removed it's "job killer" status, but it is still being opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce. Ca labor laws would be irreparably harmed with their passage.

While there were still several bills that were deemed "job killers" still alive during the last week of the session, only two of them passed in the state house. Here are a few of the anti-business proposals that won approval from the Legislature.

  •  AB 1897 (R. Hernández; D-West Covina) Contractor Liability. Under Ca labor laws, this bill would impose liability on a contracting entity for violations concerning wages and hours, and for not having adequate worker's compensation coverage. There is no evidence that the entity controlled the working environment, or the wages of the contractor's workers. 
  • AB 1723 (Nazarian; D-Sherman Oaks) Labor Commissioner Investigation. This bill would increase the ability of the labor commissioner to impose waiting time penalties while the citation process is occurring, instead of during the administrative hearing. This would all occur without setting forth the basis of the penalty in citation. This would hurt businesses under Ca labor laws.
  • AB 1556 (Perea; D-Fresno) Increase Risk of Unemployment Insurance Tax. This bill takes on new statutes, all while decisions from the Federal Department of Labor in regards to the state's requirements for waivers of unemployment insurance tax increases are still pending. 
  • AB 2616 (Skinner; D-Berkeley) Expands Costly Presumptions. This piece of legislation would increase the costs of workers compensation for both private and public medical facilities. It would do so by presuming that specific injuries and diseases are the result of the workplace. This would be detrimental, so keeping it off the books of the Ca labor laws is important. 
  • SB 25 (Steinberg; D-Sacramento) Due Process for Agricultural Employers. SB 25 would deny due process for farm and agricultural employers. Ca labor laws would require the employers to enter into a collective bargaining contract under the orders of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board while under appeal, unless these employers are able to meet very high standards in order to win a stay. 
  • AB 1792 (Gomez; D-Los Angeles) This bill unjustly targets California firms that employ more than 100 people that are enrolled in Medi-Cal. Under Ca labor laws they would be placed on a list posted online, which could cause public protests, increased liability, and attacks in the media. All of this would be without any regard to increased health care costs and various other factors. These conditions often make the acquisition of health care coverage very expensive for these companies. This bill would degrade employers under Ca labor laws.
  • Amended: AB 1522 (Gonzalez; D-San Diego) Paid Sick Leave. Before amendments were added, AB 1522 would have added to mandates for all employers, no matter the size of the company, to provide paid sick time for all employees under Ca labor laws. In addition, employers would be threatened with penalties and appearances in court under the Private Attorneys General Act. Though the bill passed after amendments removed the "job killer" status, CalChamber is still against this bill.

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Topics: ca labor laws

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