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May 10, 2006
Corona Chamber
Supported Four Day Work Week Proposals Win-Win For Employers and
Employees
The Corona Chamber is supporting
dual proposals, one in the State Assembly and one in the State
Senate, that would favor employers and employees to mutually
agree on a more favorable and flexible four-day work week. AB
2217 (Lillinies; R-Clovis) and SB 1254 (Ackerman; R-Tustin)
would allow employees to work four 10-hour days a week if the
employee desires the schedule and the employer agrees to the
compressed schedule.
If the employer agrees to the proposed four-day workweek
schedule, the four-day workweek will be paid at straight time
rates. Any work performed beyond the compressed work schedule
would remain subject to current California overtime
requirements. Under current law, individual employees do not
have the right to seek and arrange flexible schedules with their
employers.
For the average full-time employee working a compressed four-day
workweek would provide for up to 50 extra days off from work
each year. That will be time for the employee to spend with
family, attend children’s school activities, take care of
dependent elders, go to medical appointments, go back to school
or attend to other private matters that usually cannot be
accomplished on a weekend.
The current alternate work schedule adoption process is largely
unused and does not provide flexibility for individual workers
and employers. The unwieldy Industrial Welfare Commission wage
orders effectively eliminate most employers and employees from
choosing schedule options such as flextime, part-time, job
sharing, telecommuting, and compressed workweeks.
Both AB 2217 and SB 1254 contain important protections for
employees. The bills prohibit any employer from offering an
employment benefit to an employee as an incentive to seek
flexible schedules, or retaliating against an employee who does
not seek a flexible schedule. The bills do not affect workers
covered by collective bargaining agreements.
Your Chamber encourages employers and employees to contact the
chairs and vice chairs of the Assembly and Senate policy
committees to voice support for AB 2217 and SB 1254 to allow
greater flexibility in individual employee work schedules.
Greater flexibility would contribute to a reduction in traffic
congestion at peak traffic hours and less air pollution, as well
as improved employee morale and lower employee absentee rates.
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