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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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