On August 4th, Cal Watchdog ran a misleading article, “The Hire Lousy Workers Act” on AB350 (Solorio). Like current law for janitors, AB350 brings a modicum of stability to California’s lowest paid workers in a hyper-competitive industry. When property service contracts change hands, AB350 allows contracted food service workers, licensed security and window washers 60 days to prove themselves to the new contractor or find work. Stable jobs are a necessity for recovery in California, especially for low paid service workers.

Tens of thousands of service workers know contracts change hands over just a few dollars. These workers are the last to know they’ve lost their jobs because their employer doesn’t want them to abandon ship before the last day of service. That’s not right.

Here are the facts. AB350 doesn’t require hiring poor performers or prevent employers from firing poor performers. AB350 does not cost the new company money because they set staffing levels, wages, hours and benefits. The CA Supreme Court just ruled that worker retention laws like AB350 do not conflict with the National Labor Relations Act. It does not cost the new company money because the new company sets the staffing levels, the wages, the hours and the benefits.

Worker retention laws are not new. Cities and airports across California have them. Since 2001, janitors have had them. Since 2003, California workers have had 60 day notice for plant closures. Giving workers advance notice is just common decency. Protecting low-wage contract workers from arbitrary unemployment doesn’t kill good jobs; cut-throat contractors do.

Sincerely,

Mike Garcia
President, SEIU United Service Workers West