A bill that would have
made far-reaching changes to
meal and rest break laws failed to make it to the governor’s desk in the last
days of the 2007 legislative session. Assembly Member Lloyd Levine, a San
Fernando Valley Democrat, added the provisions to an existing bill, A.B. 1711,
on the last day assembly members could amend legislation.
The bill, which the
Legislature can take up again when it reconvenes in January 2008, would have cleared
up the confusion over the timing of meal periods and added some welcome
flexibility for employers with respect to meal period scheduling. The measure provided
that meal periods would have to be completed before the end of the sixth hour
of work; the Labor Commissioner’s current position is that you can’t have a
work period of longer than five hours without a meal period.
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The measure also would
have modified provisions for “on-duty” meal periods. The measure reflected
growing employer concern about meal and rest period laws, so we’ll keep you posted
on its status. In the meantime, you can link to A.B. 1711 online at
www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html. In upcoming issues, we’ll have a full rundown
on wage and hour legislation that was signed and vetoed.