A possible change to paid sick leave is gaining momentum and needs attention from California’s agriculture industry. Assembly Bill 555 is an act to amend current paid sick leave requirements for employers. “AB 555 does three important things,” AgSafe President and CEO Amy Wolfe said. “It would transition mandatory paid sick leave from three days to five days, allow employees to accumulate as much as ten days, and will enable employees to carry over up to five days of unused paid sick leave. “
Wolfe has detailed AB 555 with AgNet West before, and although they remain out of the lobbying and political aspect of the policymaking processing, she is hearing that the bill is getting some backing. “Talking to some of the folks that are actively involved politically…it sounds like this thing has a lot of positive feedback in the Assembly and the Assembly has a giga-majority,” she said.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the bill is set to become law. However, Wolfe said the legislators that aren’t fond of some of the details in the bill, approve of the overall concept in general. “It’s not, in its current farm, getting a ton of warm-and-fuzzies out of the Senate,” she explained. “But many Senators have said that conceptionaly we like where you’re going with this but the way the bill is currently written, we don’t like the weeds.”
“And the Governor has said he likes it just the way it is and would sign it if it came to his desk right now,” Wolfe added.
There is still time for producers and operations to make their voice heard about the impacts this bill would have on their bottom line. Wolfe said the best way to start that process is to contact your local county farm bureau office.
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