California Governor Newsom signed a bill that he described as “the first in the country” that will reverse the common practice of the garment industry and stipulate that workers will be paid hourly rather than on a piece-by-piece basis. salary.
Sponsors of the bill pointed out that the practice of piece-by-piece wages is always lower than the minimum wage. The SB62 bill signed this time will make California the first state in the United States to eliminate the practice, except for factories covered by collective bargaining agreements. It will also be the first time that a subcontracting company of a garment manufacturer is held legally responsible for the poor treatment of workers. State.
State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, the sponsor of the bill, said: Unscrupulous manufacturers have long exploited garment workers who toil in unsanitary conditions and receive minimum hourly wages. At just $5, his bill will level the playing field for ethical manufacturers who are doing the right thing.
According to the bill, in addition to legal salary, employees can still receive incentive bonuses.
Marissa Nuncio, director of the Garment Workers Center who supports the bill, said that more than 45,000 garment workers in California are female immigrants. She believes that the new law will make California no longer It’s the sweatshop capital of America.
The California Chamber of Commerce opposes the bill, arguing that it will place a huge burden on employers in the garment industry, including those who do not directly supervise workers and will now be legally responsible for unfair treatment of workers. . The Chamber of Commerce predicts that the bill will cause some companies to close their doors or leave California.
LegalAidatWork, an advocacy group that supports the bill, said that broad legal liability under the new regulations is necessary to prevent bad brands from subcontracting Contracts avoid regulation and enforcement.
This is one of 18 job-related bills signed by Newsom on the same day. On the same day, he signed another bill, SB639, which stipulates that all disabled employees can enjoy the minimum wage.
The State Council on Developmental Disabilities said that California used to allow businesses with special licenses to pay sub-minimum wages to people with disabilities. After the new law takes effect, California will end this practice. The 13th state.
The organization estimates that 12,000 disabled workers in sheltered workshops in California currently earn as low as 15 cents an hour due to a federal policy established in 1938. .
The Alliance to Support People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, which opposes the bill, believes that unless the state government can provide other options, the new law will actually eliminate the employment of many people. prospects, thus limiting the options people may face in them.
The new regulations will gradually phase out the sub-minimum wage in the next three years. From January 1, 2025, it will be illegal to pay people with disabilities less than the legal minimum wage.
