California has numerous government agencies concerned with employment and labor issues. Until its disbanding 20 years ago, they included the Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC), the source of the 18 Wage Orders, largely by industry, still enforced in the state.
Under section 5, Schedule 5 of AB 102, the state appropriations bill for 2024, the revived IWC must convene by January 1, 2024 and use its three-million-dollar budget to create “industry-specific wage boards and adopt orders specific to wages, hours, and working conditions” in those industries. The IWC must issue its final recommended Wage Orders by October 31, 2024.
Per AB 102, the new Wage Orders “shall not include any standards that are less protective than existing state law,” so employers may be in for a ghoulish Halloween surprise.
Take Aways:
Employers should be prepared for a new onslaught of government regulation by Halloween 2024.
For further information, please contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.
See also:
- California Minimum Wage Rates Update: Bottom Line Breakdown (June 9, 2023)
- Handbook Helper Episode 11 Right on Schedule: Work Hours and Breaks (September 23, 2022)
Helena Kobrin
July 21, 2023