SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A bill approved in the state Senate would let California farmworkers sue their employers for failing to comply with laws requiring them to provide adequate water and shade.
AB2346 passed on a 21-12 vote Monday. It would let farmworkers sue if employers fail to follow California's 2005 heat protection regulations.
Sen. Juan Vargas, a Democrat from San Diego, says state regulators can't keep up with complaints from workers. The bill would let individual employees take action against repeat violators.
The legislation returns to the Assembly for a final vote.
Last week, senators approved AB2676, which imposes jail and fines for heat rules violations, and AB1313, which would require that farmworkers be paid overtime after working an eight-hour day or 40 hours in a week.