Judiciary Committee Approves Sen. Smallwood-Cuevas' Two Bills That Better Protect Californian Workers
SACRAMENTO – The Judiciary Committee today approved two new bills, introduced by Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), that provide better protections for Californian workers. The committee voted to approve SB 497 – the Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Act – that protects workers who report labor violations from being fired, bullied or harassed. The committee also voted to approve SB 627 – the Displaced Worker Transfer Rights Act – that requires large chain businesses to notify workers 60 days in advance of a store closure and grants workers transfer rights within the company.
The Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Act would allow the Labor Commissioner to presume retaliation has occurred when the employer punishes or terminates a worker within 90 days of the worker’s complaint of wage theft or unequal pay.
“In this economy, the right for a worker to blow the whistle and report labor and equal pay violations must always be protected. An employer who retaliates against a worker for taking such heroic actions must be held accountable,” said Senator Smallwood-Cuevas. “Our bill will empower workers to break the silence so we can bring law-breaking employers to justice.”
The Displaced Worker Transfer Rights Act discourages corporate chain employers from using store closures in a discriminatory or retaliatory manner by giving workers opportunities to work in other stores. The bill will ensure workers’ lives aren’t upended when they lose their jobs because their employer closed the store where they work. It requires chain employers to give advance notice of a store closure and give workers the right to transfer to a location within 25 miles when a position becomes open. The bill would only apply to large corporate chains that have 100 locations nationally.
“Store closures are devastating to workers and communities,” said Senator Smallwood-Cuevas. “My bill will make sure workers have time to prepare for a store closure and can keep their jobs and transfer to another location.”
Both bills will move to the Senate Appropriations Committee next month for consideration of their fiscal impact.
Senator Lola Smallwood Cuevas represents the 28th Senate District, which includes the communities of South Los Angeles, Culver City, West Los Angeles, Century City and Downtown Los Angeles. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas spent more than two decades serving as a labor organizer, civil rights activist and community advocate before her election to the State Senate. She resides in the View Park community of Los Angeles with her family.
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