SB 2016-059 - Employees Rights Act (Debating)

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

I have serious issues with Section 1, Section 2.2, Section 6 and Section 8.

For Section 1- Does this bill regulate the amount of hours one can work for just one job? Or does this apply to multiple jobs? If the latter is true, how can employers enforce this? If an individual wishes to work the maximum allowable hours at 2 jobs (90 hours per week) does that individual get charged with a crime for breaking this law? Also, for high school students and those under the age of 18, 30 hours per week is still far too high a ceiling. 20-25 is more realistic, given that students need to focus on their schoolwork as well.

For Section 2.2 - Is this a mandate, or can employers still choose to pay their employees a holiday pay right, which is usually time and a half (the total amount of money earned in a regular shift, with half of that sum added on)?

Section 6 - There are major privacy issues involved with this. Working at a job that allows constant monitoring of employees via CCTV creates a tense and untrustworthy scenario. Having worked at a job like this myself, I often feared that I would be "caught doing something", even if I wasn't doing anything wrong. There is a difference between having CCTV to detract theft from customers, but treating employees like cattle that need to stay in line violates not only personal privacy, but the whole premise of this legislation. As for bag searches, this is also a huge privacy violation. If an employee is believed to be shoplifting, most businesses have a security guard on duty who can be brought in to execute a search with reasonable cause. I would NEVER allow my employer to search my personal belongings, even though I would also never steal from my employer. Also, allowing monitoring of employees "under investigation" only furthers the "police state" vibe I get from this section. This is about protecting workers' rights, not trying to find evidence to arrest them. Employers may collect evidence without monitoring employees, and still have enough of it to fire and/or prosecute an employee.

Section 8 - Allowing businesses to opt out of this act only seems like a "slippery slope", where employers will just be allowed to overwork employees without consequence. If we're going to pass legislation to protect workers' rights (which I sure hope it isn't this bill) then there cannot be an opt out option for any business. Those workers should not be denied the same legal protections as everyone else because their employer doesn't believe they're entitled to them.

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

On the work hours for students, I empathize with the need to focus on school, but there's some families that really need the money to survive and I lean toward giving them the right to do that, which I think is more important than their education (sadly).

Is there legislation that makes attendance compulsory for high school students?

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

On the work hours for students, I empathize with the need to focus on school, but there's some families that really need the money to survive and I lean toward giving them the right to do that, which I think is more important than their education (sadly).

Is there legislation that makes attendance compulsory for high school students?

I don't think there is anything in Atlasia.  The reset put everything on US law, so generally it is, but it varies based on the state.  Some states require students to stay until they're 18 and others allow them to leave earlier.  I assume the reset included state law, but I actually have no idea on that.

Because, in the event that attendance were compulsory for high school students, those students who need to work instead of attend school would face legal trouble, which is obviously something we want to prevent.

Either way, I still have mixed feelings about this bill and I'm working on some amendments.

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

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