A California Chamber of Commerce-sponsored job creator bill to improve employee flexibility has missed the deadline to move from the Assembly policy committee to the fiscal committee.
AB 2509 (Waldron; R-Escondido) sought to provide non-exempt employees, who work a traditional 8-hour day schedule, the opportunity to request an on-duty meal period in order to leave work 30 minutes earlier, which helps accommodate employee requests, retain employees, and offer more flexible work arrangements.
The bill never was heard in the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.
The bill would have provided employees the same protections offered by the make-up time provision of the Labor Code—the on-duty meal period request must be employee initiated, in writing, and not encouraged or requested by the employer.
Employees are constantly requesting more flexibility at work in order to care for family, accommodate class schedules, or avoid traffic, etc., but employers’ hands are tied because of strict labor laws.
AB 2509 would simply have allowed employees a little more leniency in their already-hectic schedules while protecting employers who want to provide this type of flexibility.
