Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson

Existing law generally regulates the wages, hours, and working conditions of people employed in any occupation. Existing law creates the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, the head of which is the Labor Commissioner. Existing law authorizes the Labor Commissioner to enforce certain notice requirements concerning a mass layoff, relocation, or termination of employees, including call center employees. Existing law prohibits a call center employer from ordering a relocation of its call center, or one or more of its facilities or operating units within a call center, unless notice of the relocation is provided to the affected employees and the Employment Development Department, local workforce investment board, and the chief elected official of each city and county government within which the termination, relocation, or mass layoff occurs, as specified. Existing law requires a state agency authorized to enter into contracts relating to public benefit programs, as defined, to only contract for services provided by a call center that directly serves applicants for, recipients of, or enrollees in, those public benefit programs with a contractor that certifies in its bid for the contract that the services provided under the contract and any subcontract performed under that contract, to applicants for, recipients of, or enrollees in, those public benefit programs, will be performed solely with workers employed in California, subject to certain exceptions. Existing law imposes a civil penalty, as provided, for knowingly providing false information in that certification. This bill would require each state agency, on and after January 1, 2025, that enters a contract with a private entity specifically for call center work to provide public or customer service for that agency or another state agency to ensure that no later than January 1, 2026, at least 90% of the call center work is conducted in California, except in specified circumstances. This bill would also require each state agency that enters into a contract with a private entity for programs or other services, including no-fee contracts, in which call center work is included but the contract is not specifically for call center work, to prioritize the work being conducted in California. The bill would further require the Department of General Services to establish scoring incentives for those contracts, subject to certain conditions. The bill would create exceptions from these requirements for disasters and overflow work needs, as specified.

This measure would recognize June 21, 2023, as the 2023 International Day of Yoga in California.

This measure would designate the month of May 2023 as Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month.

This measure would declare June 7, 2023, as California Nonprofits Day in recognition of the importance of nonprofit organizations to the economy and well-being of this state.

Existing state law forbids a public employer from deterring or discouraging public employees from becoming or remaining members of an employee organization. Existing federal law forbids employers from interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees in the exercise of rights relating to organizing, forming, joining, or assisting a labor organization for collective bargaining purposes, or from working together to improve terms and conditions of employment, or refraining from any such activity. This measure, the Right to Organize and Negotiate Act, would ensure that all Californians have the right to join a union and to negotiate with their employers, through their legally chosen representative, to protect their economic well-being and safety at work. This measure would require the Legislature to provide for the enforcement of these rights. This measure would also prohibit, after January 1, 2023, the passing of any statute or ordinance that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment and workplace safety.

This measure would urge all schools to ensure that Asian American history and contributions are included in their curriculum, alongside those of other communities of color.

This measure would honor and congratulate the San Diego State University Aztecs for advancing to the 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament national championship game.

This measure would declare May 23, 2023, as GM1 Gangliosidosis Awareness Day in California.

This measure would designate the month of May 2023 as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in California.

This measure would declare May 25, 2023, as National Missing Children's Day and the 40th anniversary of the first National Missing Children's Day.