Bill > SB693

This bill amends California Labor Code Section 512 to create an additional exception to meal period requirements for employees of water corporations, similar to existing exceptions for electrical corporations, gas corporations, and local publicly owned electric utilities. Under current law, employers must provide employees with a meal period of at least 30 minutes for work periods longer than 5 hours, and a second 30-minute meal period for work periods longer than 10 hours. The bill specifically adds water corporations to the list of utility companies whose employees can be exempt from these meal period requirements if they are covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement that meets certain conditions, such as providing express provisions for wages, hours, working conditions, meal periods, and arbitration of disputes. The definition of "water corporation" is drawn from the Public Utilities Code, ensuring a precise legal interpretation. This change aims to provide flexibility for water utility employers while maintaining protections for workers through collective bargaining agreements, and it aligns the treatment of water corporation employees with those in similar utility sectors.

Budget and Finance, Labor and Employment

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB693