2023 California Code
Labor Code - LAB
DIVISION 2 - EMPLOYMENT REGULATION AND SUPERVISION
PART 1 - COMPENSATION
CHAPTER 1 - Payment of Wages
ARTICLE 1 - General Occupations
Section 226.7.

226.7. (a) As used in this section, “recovery period” means a cooldown period afforded an employee to prevent heat illness.

(b) An employer shall not require an employee to work during a meal or rest or recovery period mandated pursuant to an applicable statute, or applicable regulation, standard, or order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, or the Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

(c) If an employer fails to provide an employee a meal or rest or recovery period in accordance with a state law, including, but not limited to, an applicable statute or applicable regulation, standard, or order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, or the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the employer shall pay the employee one additional hour of pay at the employee’s regular rate of compensation for each workday that the meal or rest or recovery period is not provided.

(d) A rest or recovery period mandated pursuant to a state law, including, but not limited to, an applicable statute, or applicable regulation, standard, or order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, or the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, shall be counted as hours worked, for which there shall be no deduction from wages. This subdivision is declaratory of existing law.

(e) This section shall not apply to an employee who is exempt from meal or rest or recovery period requirements pursuant to other state laws, including, but not limited to, a statute or regulation, standard, or order of the Industrial Welfare Commission.

(f) (1) An employee employed in the security services industry as a security officer who is registered pursuant to the Private Security Services Act (Chapter 11.5 (commencing with Section 7580) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code) and who is employed by a private patrol operator registered pursuant to that chapter, may be required to remain on the premises during rest periods and to remain on call, and carry and monitor a communication device during rest periods. If a security officer’s rest period is interrupted, the security officer shall be permitted to restart the rest period anew as soon as practicable. The security officer’s employer satisfies that rest period obligation if the security officer is then able to take an uninterrupted rest period. If on any workday a security officer is not permitted to take an uninterrupted rest period of at least 10 minutes for every four hours worked or major fraction thereof, then the security officer shall be paid one additional hour of pay at the employee’s regular base hourly rate of compensation.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, the term “interrupted” means any time a security officer is called upon to return to performing the active duties of the security officer’s post prior to completing the rest period, and does not include simply being on the premises, remaining on call and alert, monitoring a radio or other communication device, or all of these actions.

(3) This subdivision only applies to an employee specified in paragraph (1) if both of the following conditions are satisfied:

(A) The employee is covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement.

(B) The valid collective bargaining agreement expressly provides for the wages, hours of work, and working conditions of employees, and expressly provides for rest periods for those employees, final and binding arbitration of disputes concerning application of its rest period provisions, premium wage rates for all overtime hours worked, and a regular hourly rate of pay of not less than one dollar more than the state minimum wage rate.

(4) This subdivision does not apply to existing cases filed before January 1, 2021.

(5) In enacting the legislation adding this subdivision, it is the intent of the Legislature to abrogate, for the security services industry only, the California Supreme Court’s decision in Augustus v. ABM Security Services, Inc. (2016) 2 Cal.5th 257, to the extent that decision is in conflict with this subdivision.

(g) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2027, and as of that date is repealed.

(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 343, Sec. 2. (AB 1512) Effective September 30, 2020. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 3 of Stats. 2020, Ch. 343.)