Grocery retail store and retail drug establishment employees: self-service checkout.

Senator Smallwood-Cuevas's legislation establishes new requirements for self-service checkout systems in California grocery stores and retail drug establishments, mandating staffed checkout alternatives and limiting automated transactions to 15 items or fewer. The bill requires retailers to maintain at least one staffed checkout station whenever self-service options are available and prohibits self-checkout for items requiring identification or those with anti-theft devices.

The measure creates specific operational guidelines for retailers implementing self-service systems. Employees assigned to monitor self-checkout stations cannot simultaneously perform other duties, and establishments must incorporate self-service checkout considerations into their workplace safety programs. Retailers must provide 60 days' written notice to workers and union representatives before deploying new self-service systems.

Under the enforcement provisions, violations incur civil penalties of $1,000 per day, with a maximum aggregate penalty of $200,000. Workers and union representatives may file complaints with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. The legislation preserves local authority to enact equal or stronger worker protections through city and county ordinances.