Employees: meal periods.

Senator Cortese's meal period legislation extends existing labor code exemptions to water corporation employees, aligning their treatment with workers at electrical and gas utilities under California's meal break requirements. The measure modifies Section 512 of the Labor Code, which currently mandates 30-minute meal periods for employees working more than five hours per day.

Under the proposed changes, water corporation employees covered by qualifying collective bargaining agreements would be exempt from standard meal period timing requirements. To qualify for this exemption, agreements must explicitly outline wages, hours, working conditions, and meal periods while providing for binding arbitration of disputes. The agreements must also guarantee premium pay for overtime and establish a regular hourly wage at least 30 percent above the state minimum wage.

The bill maintains existing protections for other utility workers, construction employees, commercial drivers, and security officers who meet similar collective bargaining criteria. It preserves current provisions allowing meal period waivers for shifts under six hours when mutually agreed upon by employers and employees, as well as exceptions for specific industries like wholesale baking and broadcasting that operate under approved alternative arrangements.