Aug. 20, 2024 12:45 PM PT
Public agencies in California are not subject to a controversial law that gives workers the power to sue their employers over alleged labor violations, the state’s Supreme Court has ruled.
In the unanimous decision issued last week in a case involving a large healthcare system in the Bay Area, justices on California’s top court also found that public employers are largely exempt from wage law giving workers the right to daily meal and rest breaks.
Taken together, the two prongs of the ruling significantly curtail the ability of public employees in the state to seek help from the courts in labor disputes. Advocates for workers criticized the decision, while others said it would provide needed protections for agencies against costly lawsuits and penalties.
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“Public employers are getting hit with lawsuits that can be very expensive to defend,” said Brian P. Walter, an attorney. The decision “is beneficial for the public.”
The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed in 2021 by a medical assistant and nurse working at Highland Hospital in Oakland against Alameda Health System, which operates several hospitals and clinics. The workers alleged their employer frequently denied or discouraged staff from taking breaks to eat and rest, deducted half an hour of pay from each work day even if a worker didn’t take a meal break, and failed to keep accurate payroll records.
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