UFCW Legislative Victories 2022

COVID-19 SUPPLEMENTAL PAID SICK LEAVE EXTENSION – AB 152

The bill will allow for workers who have not used their 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave to have until December 31, 2022 to use the leave. This bill extends the use of paid sick leave benefits UFCW won in January 2022 with SB 114.

REFUNDABLE TAX CREDIT FOR UNION DUES – AB 158

This bill will allow workers to be eligible for a refundable tax credit up to a $100 for their union dues.

EXPANDING UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LABOR CENTERS – SB 179

This bill will provide a $12 million per year ongoing augmentation to support the existing labor research programs at the University of California (UC) and support a multi-campus initiative to expand labor centers to UC Davis, Irvine, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz.

AB 2068 (HANEY) – CAL/OSHA WORKPLACE POSTINGS

This bill will empower workers with knowledge of workplace safety and health violations and their rights on the job, in the language they understand by requiring Cal/OSHA to issue a standardized workplace citation posting in the top seven non-English languages spoken by workers in California and Punjabi to the employer to post prominently at the worksite near the health and safety violation. The languages this posting will be in include: Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Armenian, and Punjabi.

AB 2530 (WOOD) – HEALTHCARE FOR STRIKING WORKERS

This bill will provide timely and affordable access to the highest benefit tier of Covered California health insurance for workers who lose health benefits due to a labor dispute.

AB 2693 (REYES) – SUNSET EXTENSION FOR COVID-19 NOTIFICATION AND REPORTING

This bill will continue to require employers to notify workers of workplace COVID-19 exposures by hanging a poster prominently at the worksite that discloses the last date of the workplace exposure, the general area of the exposure, contact information to receive more information on COVID-19 related benefits, and disinfection plans the employer with implement. Employers will still have the option to continue notifying workers individually, if they so choose. These provisions will be extended until January 1, 2024.

AB 2188 (QUIRK) – CANNABIS EMPLOYEE DISCRIMINATION

This bill will prohibit employers from using outdated cannabis urine testing methods which are used to discriminate against employees who use cannabis off the job and away from the worksite.

SB 951 (DURAZO) – INCREASE PAID FAMILY LEAVE BENEFITS

This bill will make Paid Family Leave (PFL) and State Disability Insurance (SDI) accessible to California’s families by increasing the wage replacement from 60% to 90% for low-wage workers.

AB 1041 (WICKS) – ADAPT LEAVE LAWS TO INCLUDE CHOSEN AND EXTENDED FAMILY

This bill will ensure that California workers are able to be there for their loved ones when it matters most by adapting our leave laws to include chosen and extended family.

HIGH-ROAD CANNABIS EMPLOYER TAX CREDITS – AB 195

This bill will provide high-road cannabis employers with carry-forward tax credits for providing living wages and benefits.

ACR 95 – AMAZON ANTI-TRUST

This bill will have the expert California Law Revision Commission study whether California’s antitrust law should be revised to prohibit anticompetitive, single company monopolies.