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Prop 11 -- Ambulance Workers Get All the Breaks
Ambulance workers’ meal breaks are sometimes interrupted by emergencies. This is offset by down-time between emergencies (aka calls) that allows workers enough time for a meal while they’re on call, just waiting around for the next crisis.
Prop 11 would allow ambulance workers to take meal breaks while on call (aka on the clock), exempting them from certain labor laws, but regulate the time frames that they can take those breaks. Ambulance workers are OK with this -- they put forward a bill AB 263 to solve the problem. But the law didn’t pass, instead the legislature passed the dice onto us….
Prop 11 reduces liability (past & present) for ambulance companies. 11 says that private ambulance companies can’t be held liable for violating labor laws in the past (when they required ambulance workers to be on call during breaks in violation of state labor laws). If ambulance companies are required to pay for meal breaks for workers moving forward, costs will increase by $100 million. But this seems unlikely…. since the workers themselves are not asking for it.
Local governments with ambulance service contracts would probably save money through prop 11, as it voids old lawsuits.
Prop 11 requires private sector ambulance employers to provide additional natural disaster and active shooter training as well as provide access to mental health services for ambulance workers.
The legislature could just as easily make the BIG decision here re: more flexible breaks -- with support from all sides. They almost did with AB 263 , but refused to chose “winners” between unions & private ambulance company AMR, re: pending lawsuits for sins & labor violations past.
AB 263 was supported by ambulance union -- but not Prop 11.
Why are we voting on this? Send it BACK to the legislature. Vote NO to say “legislature, do your job! You bring everyone to the table -- and you decide.”
The Straws Have It: No -- 8, Yes -- 0; Undecided -- 4
