Amended in Senate April 20, 2016

Senate Bill No. 1063

Introduced by Senator Hall

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(Coauthors: Senators Glazer, Hueso, and Mitchell)

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Brown, Campos, Gipson, Roger Hernández, McCarty, and Ridley-Thomas)

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February 16, 2016

An act to amend Sections 1197.5 and 1199.5 of the Labor Code, relating to employment.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1063, as amended, Hall. Conditions of employment: wage differential: race or ethnicity.

Existing law prohibits an employer from paying any of its employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of the opposite sex for substantially similar work, when viewed as a composite of skill, effort, and responsibility, and performed under similar working conditions, unless the employer demonstrates that specific, reasonably applied factors account for the entire wage differential. Existing law authorizes an employee paid lesser wages in violation of this prohibition to file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and authorizes the employee, the division, or the Department of Industrial Relations to commence a civil action for the wages the employee was deprived of because of the violation, interest on those wages, and liquidated damages. Under existing law, an employer or other person who violates or causes a violation of that prohibition, or who reduces the wages of any employee in order to comply with that prohibition, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

This bill would expand that prohibition to also prohibit an employer from paying any of its employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of another race or ethnicity for substantially similar work, as specified above. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 1197.5 of the Labor Code is amended to
read:

1197.5.  

(a) An employer shall not pay any of its employees
at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of the opposite
sex for substantially similar work, when viewed as a composite of
skill, effort, and responsibility, and performed under similar
working conditions, except where the employer demonstrates:

(1) The wage differential is based upon one or more of the
following factors:

(A) A seniority system.

(B) A merit system.

(C) A system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of
production.

(D) A bona fide factor other than sex, such as education,
training, or experience. This factor shall apply only if the employer
demonstrates that the factor is not based on or derived from a
sex-based differential in compensation, is job related with respect
to the position in question, and is consistent with a business
necessity. For purposes of this subparagraph, “business necessity”
means an overriding legitimate business purpose such that the
factor relied upon effectively fulfills the business purpose it is
supposed to serve. This defense shall not apply if the employee
demonstrates that an alternative business practice exists that would
serve the same business purpose without producing the wage
differential.

(2) Each factor relied upon is applied reasonably.

(3) The one or more factors relied upon account for the entire
wage differential.

(b) An employer shall not pay any of its employees at wage
rates less than the rates paid to employees of another race or
ethnicity for substantially similar work, when viewed as a
composite of skill, effort, and responsibility, and performed under
similar working conditions, except where the employer
demonstrates:

(1) The wage differential is based upon one or more of the
following factors:

(A) A seniority system.

(B) A merit system.

(C) A system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of
production.

(D) A bona fide factor other than race or ethnicity, such as
education, training, or experience. This factor shall apply only if
the employer demonstrates that the factor is not based on or derived
from a race- or ethnicity-based differential in compensation, is job
related with respect to the position in question, and is consistent
with a business necessity. For purposes of this subparagraph,
“business necessity” means an overriding legitimate business
purpose such that the factor relied upon effectively fulfills the
business purpose it is supposed to serve. This defense shall not
apply if the employee demonstrates that an alternative business
practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without
producing the wage differential.

(2) Each factor relied upon is applied reasonably.

(3) The one or more factors relied upon account for the entire
wage differential.

(c) Any employer who violates subdivision (a) or (b) is liable
to the employee affected in the amount of the wages, and interest
thereon, of which the employee is deprived by reason of the
violation, and an additional equal amount as liquidated damages.

(d) The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement shall
administer and enforce this section. If the division finds that an
employer has violated this section, it may supervise the payment
of wages and interest found to be due and unpaid to employees
under subdivision (a) or (b). Acceptance of payment in full made
by an employer and approved by the division shall constitute a
waiver on the part of the employee of the employee’s cause of
action under subdivision (h).

(e) Every employer shall maintain records of the wages and
wage rates, job classifications, and other terms and conditions of
employment of the persons employed by the employer. All of the
records shall be kept on file for a period of three years.

(f) Any employee may file a complaint with the division that
the wages paid are less than the wages to which the employee is
entitled under subdivision (a) or (b) or that the employer is in
violation of subdivision (k). The complaint shall be investigated
as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 98.7. The division shall
keep confidential the name of any employee who submits to the
division a complaint regarding an alleged violation of subdivision
(a), (b), or (k) until the division establishes the validity of the
complaint, unless the division must abridge confidentiality to
investigate the complaint. The name of the complaining employee
shall remain confidential if the complaint is withdrawn before the
confidentiality is abridged by the division. The division shall take
all proceedings necessary to enforce the payment of any sums
found to be due and unpaid to these employees.

(g) The department or division may commence and prosecute,
unless otherwise requested by the employee or affected group of
employees, a civil action on behalf of the employee and on behalf
of a similarly affected group of employees to recover unpaid wages
and liquidated damages under subdivision (a) or (b), and in addition
shall be entitled to recover costs of suit. The consent of any
employee to the bringing of any action shall constitute a waiver
on the part of the employee of the employee’s cause of action
under subdivision (h) unless the action is dismissed without
prejudice by the department or the division, except that the
employee may intervene in the suit or may initiate independent
action if the suit has not been determined within 180 days from
the date of the filing of the complaint.

(h)  begin delete Any end delete begin insert An end insert employee receiving less than the wage to which the
employee is entitled under this section may recover in a civil action
the balance of the wages, including interest thereon, and an equal
amount as liquidated damages, together with the costs of the suit
and reasonable attorney’s fees, notwithstanding any agreement to
work for a lesser wage.

(i) A civil action to recover wages under subdivision (a) or (b)
may be commenced no later than two years after the cause of action
occurs, except that a cause of action arising out of a willful
violation may be commenced no later than three years after the
cause of action occurs.

(j) If an employee recovers amounts due the employee under
subdivision (c), and also files a complaint or brings an action under
subdivision (d) of Section 206 of Title 29 of the United States
Code which results in an additional recovery under federal law for
the same violation, the employee shall return to the employer the
amounts recovered under subdivision (c), or the amounts recovered
under federal law, whichever is less.

(k) (1) An employer shall not discharge, or in any manner
discriminate or retaliate against, any employee by reason of any
action taken by the employee to invoke or assist in any manner
the enforcement of this section. An employer shall not prohibit an
employee from disclosing the employee’s own wages, discussing
the wages of others, inquiring about another employee’s wages,
or aiding or encouraging any other employee to exercise his or her
rights under this section. Nothing in this section creates an
obligation to disclose wages.

(2) Any employee who has been discharged, discriminated or
retaliated against, in the terms and conditions of his or her
employment because the employee engaged in any conduct
delineated in this section may recover in a civil action reinstatement
and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by
the acts of the employer, including interest thereon, as well as
appropriate equitable relief.

(3) A civil action brought under this subdivision may be
commenced no later than one year after the cause of action occurs.

SEC. 2.  

Section 1199.5 of the Labor Code is amended to read:

1199.5.  

Every employer or other person acting either
individually or as an officer, agent, or employee of another person
is guilty of a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine of not more
than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment for not
more than six months, or by both, who willfully does any of the
following:

(a) Pays or causes to be paid any employee a wage less than the
rate paid to an employee of another sex, race, or ethnicity, as
required by Section 1197.5.

(b) Reduces the wages of any employee in order to comply with
Section 1197.5.

No person shall be imprisoned pursuant to this section except
for an offense committed after the conviction of the person for a
prior offense pursuant to this section.

SEC. 3.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.

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CORRECTIONS:

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