SR 01-12-2016 7C
City Council
Report
City Council Regular Meeting: January 12, 2016
Agenda Item: 7.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Gigi Decavalles-Hughes, Director, Finance Department
Andy Agle, Director
Subject: Introduction for First Reading an Ordinance Setting a Minimum Wage to be
Effective in the City of Santa Monica
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council introduce for first reading the attached
ordinance setting a minimum wage to be effective in the City of Santa Monica with a
phased approach to reach $15 per hour by 2020 for most businesses; and to reach
$15.37 per hour by July 1, 2017 for hotel workers.
Executive Summary
On September 29, 2015 (Attachment A), staff presented Council with a draft minimum
wage ordinance based on the City of Los Angeles’s ordinance, expert input, and
community feedback. At the meeting, Council directed staff to meet with additional
stakeholder groups, and to return with a comprehensive ordinance reflecting input from
these meetings and responding to Council direction regarding service charges,
seasonal jobs, paid leave, and enforcement. Council also directed staff to incorporate
into the ordinance a minimum wage paid to hotel workers similar to the City of Los
Angeles hotel wage, with appropriate tiers for Santa Monica hotels. Staff submitted an
Information Item to Council on December 16, 20 15 describing stakeholder outreach and
presenting recommendations and alternatives. Staff recommends that Council
introduce for first reading the Minimum Wage Ordinance (Attachment D) increasing the
minimum wage in phases to reach $15 per hour by July 1, 2020 for most businesses,
and setting the minimum wage for all hotel employees at $13.25 per hour starting July
1, 2016 and reaching $15.37 per hour on July 1, 2017.
Background
Santa Monica currently has one local wage law in effect. This is the living wage
ordinance for contractors providing services to the City of Santa Monica pursuant to a
contract in the amount of $54,200 or greater. This law has been in place since July 1,
2005, and the minimum wage for such contractors’ employees is currently $15 .37 per
hour. Three development agreements for new hotels contain the same wage provision.
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All other businesses in Santa Monica follow the State minimum wage, $10 per hour as
of January 1, 2016.
In October 2014, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a hotel worker minimum wage
ordinance, setting a phased increase to reach $15.37 per hour for hotels of 300 rooms
or greater starting July 1, 2015, and for hotels of 150 rooms or greater on July 1, 2016.
In June 2015, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a general minimum wage
ordinance that progressively reaches $15.00 per year by 2020 and 2021 for smaller or
non-profit organizations. In September 2014 and again in June 2015, the Santa Monica
City Council directed staff to review the Los Angeles proposed o rdinance and its
potential impact on Santa Monica, including the possibility of passing a similar
ordinance. At its June 9, 2015 meeting (Attachment A), Council directed staff to initiate
community outreach and begin preparation of an ordinance setting a minimum wage
and other terms for Santa Monica employers. Council further directed staff to conduct
outreach with the community and contract with researchers from the University of
California at Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) to
provide insight into the law’s likely impact in Santa Monica
In August 2015, Council unanimously approved the Priority Strategic Goal of preserving
Santa Monica as an inclusive and diverse community, recognizing challenges from the
rising cost of housing in Santa Monica, and workers’ ability to afford it. According to the
IRLE report on the proposed Los Angeles minimum wage, increasing the minimum
wage is an effective method of increasing low wage worker income. Increasing the
minimum wage thereby is one policy tool that could help to increase the chances that
local workers are able to live in Santa Monica.
On September 29, 2015 (Attachment B), staff presented Council with a report and draft
ordinance reflecting community outreach and work with IRLE researchers. The report
projected that Santa Monica’s economy would not be significantly impacted by a
minimum wage increase; slight price increases would likely be lower than those in
neighboring Los Angeles as Santa Monica businesses already pay higher average
wages than Los Angeles employers in most impacted industries, and Santa Monica’s
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distinct appeal as a beach destination makes visitors less price-sensitive than those in
Los Angeles. Furthermore, the report noted that the increase would benefit Santa
Monica’s low-wage workers; that a one-year implementation delay would help nonprofit
organizations and businesses with 25 or fewer employees adjust to the wage increase;
and that strong enforcement would be necessary to realize the benefits of incr eased
wages. The report also recommended matching Los Angeles as much as possible to
promote fairness, support regional policy, and simplify compliance and enforcement.
Following testimony from workers, employers, advocacy groups, and community
members, Council directed staff to conduct additional stakeholder outreach and return
with amendments and clarifications to the draft ordinance that addressed the following
topics: a hotel wage, service charges, seasonal workers, paid leave, and enforcement.
Staff submitted an information item on December 16, 2015 (Attachment C), describing
the stakeholder outreach process, outlining staff’s recommendations for each area, and
including formal position letters from the Santa Monica Neighborhood Restaurant
Coalition (SMNRC), the Chamber of Commerce, Santa Monica Travel and Tourism
(SMTT), Unite Here Local 11, the Restaurant Opportunities Center Los Angeles (ROC
LA), the Housing Commission, and a group of Los Angeles hotel associations
(American Hotel & Lodging Association, California Hotel & Lodging Association, Hotel
Association of Los Angeles).
Discussion
This report presents an ordinance for first reading addressing each Council-directed
topic (hotel wage, service charges, seasonal workers, paid leave, and enforcement)
based on staff’s recommendations. The report also includes alternatives for each topic,
with associated alternative ordinance language, that would allow the Council to adopt
alternatives for the first reading, if desired. For extensive changes, staff would need to
return at a future Council meeting with an updated ordinance for first reading.
The proposed ordinance, Attachment D, introduces a City minimum wage ordinance,
including a hotel living wage, for Council consideration and approval. A summary of
recommendations and alternatives for each of the five key issues is included as
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Attachment F. Ordinance language for each alternative is included as Attachment E.
The following is a summary of each topic identified by Council for further research and
outreach.
Hotel living wage
Council direction. Council directed staff to recommend room thresholds appropriate to
Santa Monica’s hotel industry, and to prepare an ordinance setting a hotel minimum
wage in Santa Monica similar to that of Los Angeles.
Background. At the September 29, 2015 meeting, Council members unanimously
expressed support for matching the Los Angeles hotel wage. The Los Angeles law
currently applies to hotels of 300 rooms or greater (as of July 1, 2015), and will apply to
hotels of 150 rooms or greater starting July of 2016. The phase-in and application to
larger hotels were mechanisms to avoid layoffs, and were recommended in prospective
studies of the hotel law’s impact. These studies estimated that larger hotels are like ly
better able to absorb a wage increase without laying off staff as a result of greater
access to resources, broader marketing reach, and sources of income beyond room
rental. They also suggested that providing hotels more time to adjust operations would
decrease the possibility and impact of any layoffs. It is too soon to assess the impact of
the most recent wage increase in Los Angeles. Early evidence from Los Angeles’
previous hotel wage increase - a 2008 law affecting 13 Airport Hospitality Enhancement
Zone (AHEZ) hotels - suggests that it was not harmful to the affected hotels or workers
in that there were no property closures or measurable decrease in employment or
visitors, even during the Great Recession.
The Los Angeles hotel sector is significantly larger than Santa Monica’s and has lower
average occupancy rates and indicators of profit, including average daily room rate
(ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR). There also more workers per room in
the Santa Monica hospitality sector than there are in Los Angeles, due to the higher
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level of service provided in Santa Monica hotels.1
Los Angeles2 Santa Monica3
# Hotels 350 38
# Rooms 39,000 3,603
# Workers 17,000 3,000
Average workers per room 0.4 0.8
Occupancy 79% 86%
Average Daily Room Rate $ 147 $ 336
Revenue Per Available Room $ 116 $ 287
According to available data and information from stakeholder groups, many of the
factors differentiating large and small hotels’ ability to absorb a labor cost increase i n
Los Angeles do not apply in Santa Monica, or are true to a much lesser extent. Many of
Santa Monica’s smaller hotels have similar ADR to large hotels, share owners with
other large hotels in Santa Monica or elsewhere, have sources of income beyond room
rental, and benefit equally from tourist travel. And unlike Los Angeles, Santa Monica
hotels share approximately the same benefits of location, transportation, and tourist
attractions, where Los Angeles hotel ADR and occupancy varies more widely
depending on location.
Stakeholder input. The Chamber of Commerce, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism
(SMTT), Unite Here Local 11, and the Los Angeles hotel association group addressed
the Santa Monica hotel wage in formal communications to staff and Council, as shown
in Attachment C. Workers, labor advocacy groups, and many community members
expressed support for the hotel minimum wage. Hotel operators expressed support for
minimum wage increases but voiced concern with the proposed hotel living wage
increases as unfairly targeting the hospitality sector. Hotel groups recommended a
phased or slower implementation to assist with associated operational adjustments.
There was general agreement that any change in hotel wage should apply to all hotels
1 Economic Roundtable, “Impacts of Living Wages in the Airport Hospitality Enhancement Zone,” Dec.
2010.
2 PKF Consulting, September 2014.
3 PKF Consulting, August 2015; Transportation Marking District information December 2015.
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regardless of number of rooms. Many SMTT members, the Chamber of Commerce,
and some community members did not agree with or had questions about exempting
hotels with unionized workers.
Recommendation. Staff recommends a phased approach applying to all non-union
hotels, matching the Los Angeles hotel wage by July 2017. The wage would increase
to $13.25 per hour on July 1, 2016 and $15.37 on July 1, 2017, followed by annual
consumer price index (CPI) increases. Like Los Angeles, the wage increase would take
place over two years, and would reach the same rate. Unlike Los Angeles, the wage
increase applies to all hotels regardless of size. Also like the Los Angeles ordinance,
the recommendation includes a one-year waiver upon application for hotels that
demonstrate that, to avoid bankruptcy, they would need to lay off an appreciable
number of staff or significantly decrease hours to accommodate the increased wage
cost. Again like Los Angeles, the hotel wage would apply to leased spaces connected
to hotels, and to employees of contractors working on site.
Phasing in the increase provides additional adjustment time for hotels, and reduces the
likelihood and extent of possible negative consequences like layoffs, cuts to hours or
cuts to services provided. It also reduces the disparity between minimum wage rates
for workers at hotel restaurants and shops and non -hotel restaurants and shops.
Applying the wage to all hotels makes sense in the Santa Monica context, where
smaller hotels do not necessarily have lower room rates or profits, or less access to
resources. Applying the wage rate to all hotel sizes promotes fair competition, makes
enforcement and compliance simpler, and would mean that hotel workers doing the
same job receive the same pay. The recommendation matches LA’s ordinance within
one and half years.
Alternative. Council could choose to match LA’s $15.37 wage starting July 1, 2016 for
all hotels. This would increase hotel wages faster, matching the Los Angeles wage
level more quickly. Santa Monica hotels’ high occupancy rates and ADR, including
exceptionally strong performance over the past three years, indicate a strong and
profitable industry that already typically pays above the State minimum wage and
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primarily competes with the Los Angeles hotels subject to their minimum wage rates.
However, while Los Angeles hotels had either eight or 20 months to adjust to a higher
wage, Santa Monica hotels would have less than six months to make the change, and
this could result in sudden changes to hotel employment or operations that could
negatively affect hotel workers and reduce Santa Monica’s competitiveness as a
destination. Another variation on this alternative would be to push the hotel wage rate
shift to January 1, 2017, which would entail a smaller initial rate increase matching the
citywide minimum wage increase pegged for July 1, 2016.
Service charges
Council direction. In June, Council directed staff to draft an ordinance that goes beyond
State law in directing how employers use service charge re venue. Following the
September 29 meeting, Council directed staff to address concerns related to the use of
service charges that were raised at that meeting, including providing transparency to the
customer, clarifying who can receive service charge reven ue, and how to enforce any
violations of service charge regulations.
Background. Service charges are similar to tips, but are treated differently in State law.
Absent direction beyond State law, replacing tips with service charges can lead to lower
income for regularly tipped workers, and can be opaque to consumers. Specific
direction in the proposed ordinance can mitigate against these potential problems.
Many service workers including restaurant workers earn a significant proportion or
majority of their income from tips. According to Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC)
data, in Los Angeles 56% of tipped workers are outside of the restaurant industry in the
hospitality, carwash, nail and beauty salon, and massage industries. In Los Angeles,
over 60% of all tipped workers make less than $25,000 per year. The proposed
ordinance language would also apply to these types of service -based businesses if the
employers chose to introduce service charges.
According to State law, tips are the property of the employee. This means that the
employer must return all income received as a tip or gratuity to those employees
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providing the service. Applying tips toward minimum wage calculation is called a tip
credit, and is illegal in California and six other states. State law also determines how tip
income is distributed, and allows employees to share tip income through tip pools.
However, tips shared through pools must go to workers in the chain of service. Many
employers believe it is unclear in State law which staff is considered part of the chain of
service and thus eligible to participate in tip pools. Consequently, in practice in the
restaurant industry, “front of house” (FOH) workers such as servers, bussers, hosts,
bartenders, food runners, receive tip income, but “back of house” (BOH) workers such
as cooks and dishwashers do not. This contributes to an often significant income gap
between the front and back of the house staff. However, courts have ruled in favor of
mandated tip sharing between front and back of house staff who participate in the chain
of service. Accordingly, some restaurants, including some in Santa Monica, do share
tips between front and back of the house staff. Nevertheless, many employers continue
to believe that they cannot have a mandatory tip pool that includes back of house
workers.
In addition to or in lieu of a tip, businesses may impose a service charge. Using service
charges is entirely voluntary. It is very common for hotels to use service charges, and
more restaurants are considering introducing this business practice. The proposed
ordinance provision would regulate how a business would describe service charges to
customers and use service charge proceeds, if the business chooses to introduce a
service charge.
A service charge is defined as a charge added to a bill of sale that a consumer is
required to pay; also known as a mandatory charge. Service charges are particularly
important because they appear where consumers normally pay a tip, and the word
“service” indicates that the charge is for the service provided, the same as a tip. There
are also other charges that establishments might include on a bill as a mandatory
charge, including those for utilities or health care. These surcharges are different than a
service charge. To avoid confusion, the service charge definition in the ordinance
addresses this aspect of service charges versus other surcharges.
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Unlike tips, service charges (and other mandatory charges) are the property of the
employer under state law, and the employer can allocate revenue received as a service
charge at his or her discretion. Introducing service charges in place of tips can provide
the employer control over income previously received as tips and going directly to
employees. Hotels often use service charges as a means to offset some administrative
or other operational or personnel costs. Using service charges in restaurants is a
relatively new practice, so there is little evidence of the impact on either restaurants or
workers. However, many states and cities do regulate service charges to some extent.
The regulatory language typically focuses on (a) consumer transparency, by ensuring
that restaurants or other establishments that use service charges clearly define for
customers and employees how charges are used and (b) ensuring that service charge
proceeds, like tips, go to the employees providing the service.
Los Angeles’ City Council plans to vote on service charge direction for non -hotel
businesses before the minimum wage law takes effect in June 2016. The Los Angeles
Hotel Service Charge Reform Ordinance regulates service charges in hotels, making
their treatment similar to tips, so that they go to the employee providing the service.
Emeryville and Oakland regulate service charges in restaurants and the hospitality
industry using the same language and definitions as those that apply to Los Angeles
hotels.
In recent years, several local restaurants have instituted a practice of designating and
applying a 3% surcharge to their customers’ bills, with the bills often claiming that the
surcharge is for employee “health care” or “benefits.” There is a pending lawsuit against
several of these restaurants in Santa Monica and Los Angeles challenging the use of a
health care surcharge. The complaint alleges that restaurants engaged in price fixing
because a group of restaurants established the same surcharge for employee health
care. The outcome of this case is pending. Meanwhile, the Consumer Protection
Division of the City Attorney’s Office has concerns about whether customers have
proper notice of the surcharge prior to ordering and paying and want to better ensure
that funds from such surcharges will actually be used for the stated purpose. Staff’s
recommendation includes language on surcharges to address these issues.
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Stakeholder input. The Chamber of Commerce (including the Santa Monica
Neighborhood Restaurant Coalition (SMNRC)) and SMTT provided general
recommendations for service charge language. Both groups support busine sses’ ability
to use surcharges other than service charges, and to distribute service charge revenue
to more employees and at employer discretion. This means in particular to back of
house staff, and to all non-salaried employees (rather than excluding all managers and
supervisors, as currently written in the LA hotel ordinance). Workers and employee
advocacy groups support treating service charges like tips. This means stricter
regulation, broader definition of service charges to include other types of surcharges
(i.e. delivery charge or health care charge), and excluding managers and supervisors
from receiving service charge income. Staff received proposed ordinance language
reflecting these recommendations from the SMNRC (Attachment G) and worker
advocacy groups (Unite Here, ROC LA, and CLEAN Car Wash) (Attachment H).
Recommendation. Staff recommends a balanced approach to regulating service
charges. Staff’s recommendation affirms businesses’ authority to institute surcharges
apart from service charges, with a focus on ensuring that any additional charges are
clearly described and used as stated, and provides a narrow definition of what
constitutes a service charge.
Following Council direction, the recommendation ensures that service char ge proceeds
go to workers who participate directly or indirectly in the chain of service; accordingly, in
the restaurant industry for example, the distribution would include back of house
workers. It allows employees with some (but not majority) superviso ry duties to receive
service charge proceeds, in consideration of line staff who may have some supervisory
responsibilities, but primarily act in a service capacity. It maintains current distribution
for certain types of existing surcharges (banquet, porterage, and room service). The
recommendation also ensures that funds received from any benefits surcharges
(including health care surcharges) go entirely towards benefits coverage for employees.
It also includes a provision ensuring that businesses cannot automatically include
optional charges on a receipt and force the customer to remove them, and provides that
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customers must affirmatively opt in to such payments; a separate definition for
surcharges; and a recordkeeping requirement. In using a more specific service charge
definition and affirming businesses’ ability to use other surcharges, the recommended
ordinance language takes into consideration that a reasonable customer would
understand certain types of charges, such as delivery or health surcharge s, as distinct
from a service charge that might replace the traditional tip. Finally, the recommendation
provides direction on noticing requirements to customers, and transparency to
employees regarding how proceeds are allocated. The recommendation follows
Council direction for employee protections, and provides employers with flexibility in
assessing surcharges and provides additional assurance that back-of-house staff can
receive service charge proceeds. While staff agrees that regulating service charges is
an appropriate and arguably necessary part of addressing a key issue of minimum
wage policies, it may be one of the most challenging areas for effective and consistent
enforcement.
Alternative 1. Council could approve the SMNRC recommended langua ge (Attachment
G). Major provisions are that any charge described as a “service charge” goes to the
general group of employees providing the service; managers will decide on service
charge distribution; all non-salaried employees can receive service charge income; and
other “surcharges” may be assessed on the bill provided that they are described clearly,
in a way customers might easily and reasonably understand what the charge is for and
to whom it will be given. This option addresses some transparency concerns, directs
income towards employees generally providing the service or to their benefits, and
provides flexibility to employers. However, it does not go far enough in addressing
transparency to customers, does not provide transparency to employees in service
charge distribution, and the salaried versus non-salaried distinction in who can receive
service charge revenue is too broad and could lead to misclassification of employees as
non-salaried, when their job duties are more consistent with a salaried worker, so that
the employer could make the employee eligible to receive service charge income.
Alternative 2. Council could adopt the language proposed by the Unite Here, ROC, and
CLEAN Car Wash group in its entirety (Attachment H). This langu age, which is the
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basis for staff’s recommendation, includes most of those provisions. This alternative
provides strong worker protections, accounts for the way some businesses already treat
service charges, and provides the ability to share service charge income with back of
house staff. But, it does not address employer concerns about ability to use other types
of surcharges, lack of clarity regarding who can receive service charge income and
what surcharges the language applies to, and does not fully address transparency to
consumers. It also contains a broad definition of service charges, including a health
care surcharge. The language is also overly restrictive in who can receive service
charge income, potentially not allowing staff who may have som e supervisory or
managerial responsibilities, but who primarily provide customer service, to receive
service charge proceeds.
Seasonal Workers
Council direction. Council directed staff to do additional research on seasonal
provisions in other cities or states, and to reach out to seasonal employer and employee
stakeholders. Council asked staff to return with options for ordinance language that
would address concerns regarding young workers’ and first -time workers’ employment
opportunities, and with maintaining affordable pier activities once the minimum wage is
increased.
Background. Many Santa Monica employers are affected by seasonal changes in
business, including retailers who add part-time or temporary workers during the holiday
season or employ students who work summer jobs. This is particularly true on the
Santa Monica pier and beach, where Pacific Park and Perry’s require a larger number
of staff during the summer or other peak demand seasons like the holidays, and where
a large percentage of employees work for less than a full year and may only work for
one summer. According to Pacific Park and Perry’s estimates, these two businesses
employ many first-time workers: 30-35% of Perry’s and 50% of Pacific Park employees.
Both business owners state that they would not be able to employ the same number of
peak demand workers - approximately 420 employees for Pacific Park and
approximately 100-125 for Perry’s - with the implementation of the proposed minimum
wage increase. An exemption for seasonal workers could help preserve these first-time
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jobs. The community also values affordable activities at the beach and pier. An
exemption for a portion of workers could help mitigate the impact on pier and beach
price increases.
Currently, no California city has a wage exemption for seasonal employment. Instead,
California State law includes a provision for “learners”, defined as someone working for
the first time in an activity in which they have no previous or similar experience.4 This
provides for 85% of the minimum wage for the first 160 hours of work. Emeryville
includes this same provision applied to its local minimum wage, and Los Angeles
includes this provision modified to apply only to workers between ages 14 -17. Short-
term wage exemptions in other states are generally limited to specific kinds of programs
with some community benefit (i.e., summer camps, internships, or government
supported youth work programs).
Seasonal and first time employment often applies to young workers to a greater extent
than to other workers. Young and first-time workers are often discussed in minimum
wage increases, since making labor more expensive may decrease the likelihood that
an employer would hire someone without experience. A November 2015 UCLA Labo r
Center study of Los Angeles youth workers (aged 18-29) concluded that young workers
have a wide range of financial and other responsibilities, struggle with getting
predictable work with the hours they want, and very often have little to no control over
scheduling. On average, young workers report wanting more hours, more full time and
predictable work, higher wages, better treatment, benefits and worker protections.5
Report survey data shows that fewer than 1% of young workers use wages for
discretionary spending (clothes, nights out, etc.) only; over one-third contribute
financially to their households; 16.5% are parents; one-third are in school, and one-
fourth have education debt. Over 60% do not receive health benefits, paid vacation or
sick days. Approximately 72% report wanting to work more hours, and 19% work more
4 As provided under Section 1197 of the California Labor Code and wage order published by the
California Industrial Welfare Commission.
5 “I am a #YoungWorker,” UCLA Labor Center.
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than one job. This information challenges the notion that young workers have less
essential needs than other workers, and are seeking jobs with limited and frequently
changing hours.
Stakeholder input. Pacific Park and Perry’s management strongly advocate for a
seasonal exception, and the Chamber of Commerce endorses this provision. Pacific
Park provided recommended ordinance language that Perry’s also supports.
Conversely, Unite Here, ROC Los Angeles, and the UCLA Labor Center recommend
either no seasonal exception, or one targeted to a very specific group of employees for
a short period of time, and linked to the local minimum wage. Community members
expressed concern about decreasing opportunities for first-time workers.
Recommendation. Staff recommends including a learner exemption that would require
employers to pay 85% of the minimum wage for 480 hours or six months, whichever is
sooner, for employees in a job or activity in which they have no previous or similar
related experience. This is the same as the State provision for first time workers
(learners), but with the time period extended to cover six months at half time (20 hours
per week), or three months at full time (40 hours per week). This provision would
maintain an incentive to hire first time workers, would not create a significant wage gap
in future years if the State wage does not increase, would apply to all businesses, and is
a reasonable amount of time for a seasonal worker.
Alternative 1. Council could approve the Pacific Park proposal, which creates a
complete exemption from the minimum wage ordinance for employees working six
months or less during a 12 month period, under a temporary services agreement,
provided that the employer also employs 50 employees at an average 35 hours per
week that are paid at least Santa Monica’s minimum wage. This could assist Pacific
Park and Perry’s in maintaining current staffing, including providing first time job
experience and training to many workers. To the extent that this exemption would help
Pacific Park maintain prices at current levels, this addresses the City goal of keeping
the pier affordable. However, staff believes that the language as written is overly br oad
and vague, and it would include employers like large retailers, movie theaters, and
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others who do not have either the constraints of the pier amusement park, or the
community benefit that more affordable pier and beach recreation provide; and that
have not demonstrated benefits for first time workers to the same degree. The
language could also provide a loophole that allows other employers to create seasonal
jobs in order to reduce wages. And, while both businesses have expressed their aim of
keeping prices low, there is nothing to prevent them from increasing prices either in
response to wage or any other growing operational cost. Finally, absent any State
minimum wage increase, an exemption from the local minimum wage would lead to a
50% wage gap between seasonal and full-time employees in 2020.
Alternative 2. Council could choose to offer no exemption to the minimum wage, or to
simply adopt the State learner provision which requires employers to pay 85% of the
minimum wage for the first 160 hours in a job in which the employee had no previous or
similar related experience.
Paid time off
Council direction. Council directed staff to include a “reasonable” paid time off provision
in the minimum wage ordinance.
Background. Many low-wage workers do not have paid time off to address health
issues for themselves or family members. This leads to decreased health outcomes for
the workers and their families, and often loss of jobs if family or personal illness
prevents them from attending work. It can also be costly for the community as a whole,
as it incentivizes putting off health care until conditions become serious.
Beginning July 1, 2015, California state law requires employers to provide at least 24
hours or three days of sick leave per year. Employees would begin accruing sick leave
on the 90th day of employment, and could be limited to using 24 hours in a given year.
Emeryville, Oakland, and San Francisco are among other California cities that have
included paid sick leave beyond the state requirement as part of their minimum wage
ordinances. Oakland and San Francisco provide 72 hours (9 days) for larger business,
and 40 hours (5 days) for small businesses; Emeryville provides 72 hours (9 days) for
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larger business, and 48 hours (6 days) for small businesses. The Los Angeles Hotel
Worker Minimum Wage includes 12 days paid leave (sick, vacation, or personal), and
10 days unpaid sick leave per year for hotel workers.
Los Angeles has not yet addressed paid leave in its minimum wage ordinan ce, although
some reports suggest that the city is considering five days of sick leave. The LA City
Council will decide on a paid leave provision before the minimum wage law’s
implementation in June 2016. Santa Monica does not currently have any local
requirements for paid leave.
Stakeholder input. All stakeholder groups provided input into paid leave. The Chamber
of Commerce recommends five days leave; the Restaurant Opportunities Center
recommended following the Oakland and San Francisco model of five days of sick leave
and nine days of sick leave for larger businesses. Unite Here members and workers
recommended that the City be clear about how and when employees can use leave,
and include retaliation protection for employees taking paid leave. Hotels report already
providing paid time off in most cases, so were less concerned about the number of
days, and more about logistics, and having to change existing policies to accommodate
new requirements, like different accrual rates, carryover or cash out provisions, or
conditions for use. Following the December 16, 2015 information item including staff’s
preliminary recommendations, Chamber of Commerce members provided additional
feedback that the leave requirement should apply specifically to sick leave. This
recommendation is also noted in a Santa Monica Neighborhood Restaurant (SMNRC)
December 22, 2015 letter to Council and staff, included as Attachment I.
Recommendation. Staff recommends a paid sick leave provision similar to that of
Oakland and San Francisco. Employees would earn one hour of sick leave for every 30
hours worked (same accrual rate as the State law), and would be entitled to accrue at
least 40 hours (five days) for businesses with 25 or fewer employees, and 72 hours
(nine days) for businesses with 26 or more employees. Employees could carry
balances over from year to year up to a maximum of 40 hours for small businesses and
72 hours for large businesses, but would not have the option to cash out. Employees
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could be limited to using the maximum accrual amount in a given calendar year.
Employee use of sick leave is consistent with State sick leave provisions. This meets
worker advocacy recommendations, and is existing policy in other cities. The accrual
rate aligns with the State, making implementation simpler for employers.
This recommendation has changed from the December 16, 2015 Information Item in
response to additional input from Chamber of Commerce members. Staff had initially
recommended that paid leave could be used fo r vacation, personal, or sick leave, with
the intent of providing flexibility to employers and employees. Employers already have
policies in place to accommodate sick leave, so they are better able to plan for staff’s
use of sick leave, and have established procedures with employees for taking sick
leave. Further, vacation and personal days function more as a benefit, or perk, that
employers offer to retain employees, as compared to sick leave, which is for employee
and consumer protection. Staff consulted with employee advocacy groups a second
time on this issue and received feedback that the sick leave provision meets employee
needs. This modified recommendation also aligns more closely with San Francisco,
Oakland, and Emeryville, all of which provide paid sick leave.
Alternative 1. Council could approve five days / nine days of sick leave for all non-hotel
businesses; and adopt leave requirements for hotels consistent with the Los Angeles
hotel minimum wage. This would mean that hotel workers would be entitled to at least
96 hours (12 days) of compensated time off per year (includes vacation, personal, or
sick leave), accrued at 96/52 for each week worked. In addition, employees would have
access to at least 80 additional hours of unpaid sick leave, earned at 80/52 hours each
week, to be used after compensated time is exhausted. This would be consistent with
the LA hotel wage and would provide generous time off for employees. However, this
would present a significant increase for hotels to absorb in addition to the hotel wage
increase. It would also create inconsistency within Santa Monica for paid leave policies,
which could be complicated and difficult to enforce.
Alternative 2. Council could reduce the number of sick leave days recommended by
staff either for small businesses, larger businesses, or all businesses (for example,
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match the State’s three days for small businesses, and mandate five days for larger
businesses). Another variable would be to delay the effective date for implementation of
the provision to recognize the greater complexity of putting such a provision in place.
Education and enforcement
Council direction. Council directed staff to develop a comprehensive enforcement
policy, using all tools available, and to consult with exp erts, including the UCLA Labor
Center.
Background. Wage theft is common, often difficult to prosecute, and wages often go
unrecovered.6 Meaningful enforcement measures and strong retaliation protections
make it more likely that employees feel comfortable bringing claims forward, and that
employers comply with regulations.
Currently, employees with wage claims pursuant to state law can file their claims
directly with the State Labor Commissioner’s Office, also known as the Division of Labor
Standards Enforcement (DLSE). In adopting a local minimum wage with different
provisions than the State, Santa Monica would need to have the capacity to educate the
community, businesses, and workers about the new requirements; respond to inquiries;
and investigate and prosecute claims.
Most cities adopting local ordinances have included a series of provisions to deter
employers from committing wage violations and provide workers protection for reporting
them, shown in the table below.
6 “Los Angeles Rising: A City that Works for Everyone,” Economic Roundtable, UCLA Labor Center,
UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.
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CITY Enforcement
Agency
Revoke
Licenses
Permits
Contracts
Liens Posting
&
Payroll
Access
Fines &
Penalties
Criminal
Penalties
Private
Right
of
Action
Retaliation
Protection
Outreach
&
Education
Albuquerque NM Y Y Y
Berkeley Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Bernalillo Y Y
Chicago Y Y Y Y Y Y
Houston* Y Y Y Y
Oakland Y Y Y Y Y Y
Las Cruces NM Y Y
Los Angeles Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Louisville Y Y
Miami* Y Y
Montgomery County, MD Y Y Y
Mountain View Y Y Y Y Y Y
Richmond Y Y Y Y Y Y
San Diego Y Y Y Y Y
San Francisco Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
San Jose Y Y Y Y Y Y
Santa Clara County* Y Y Y Y Y
Santa Fe Y Y Y Y
Seattle Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Sunnyvale Y Y Y Y Y Y
Washington DC Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
* No higher minimum wage, but implemented wage theft ordinances
SOURCE: UCLA Labor Center / Economic Roundtable “LA Rising: A City that Works for Everyone”, modified to include Los Angeles
One important tool that is used by other municipalities that has garnered significant
success is outreach and education. This includes work with community-based
organizations, and a strong education campaign, to prioritize education and informal
complaint resolution, and incentivize voluntary compliance. San Francisco provides the
best model for this aspect of wage enforcement. It has been significantly more
successful in wage violation investigation and recovery than the State average: its
Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) has collected full back wages plus
interest on final judgments in 90.5% of cases, compared to 17% statewide.7 The OLSE,
created in 2006, has been in place the longest of any local wage enforcement office in
California, and it is the model for the Los Angeles and other Bay Area city local wage
ordinances. Community-based organizations build on connections with the community
to identify problem areas, and to put together strong cases for workers that may not be
7 “Los Angeles Rising, A City that Works for Everyone,” Economic Roundtable et al.
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comfortable approaching the city. Community organizations are well placed to
communicate wage law provisions effectively and where most appropriate.
Most cities with dedicated wage enforcement offices are much larger than Santa
Monica. Of the cities with local minimum wage ordinances or wage theft ordinances,
Santa Monica is most similar in size to Sunnyvale and Mountain View. These cities do
not have dedicated wage enforcement offices but have contracted with the City of San
Jose for enforcement of their local ordinances, and the partnership has worked
successfully since implementation in 2014. Each city pays San Jose’s office based on
services provided, and San Jose reports to the client cities on wage related activity.
San Jose itself has had few wage claims. In approximately one year, in a city with
approximately 70,000 businesses, San Jose city staff has received approximately 50 -60
emails or phone calls, of which only 25 were complaints, and many of these were not
enforceable.8 Sunnyvale and Mountain View, through San Jose, have also experienced
a fairly low number of claims. Contracting with another city means that the city has
access to staff if more claims arise, but does not have excess staff capacity if there is
little activity.
The City and County of Los Angeles are establishing wage enforcement divisions. The
City of Los Angeles has requested 39 positions phased in over three years, a $1 million
annual community outreach budget, and an annual $200,000 budget for advertisement,
public relations, and technology. The division will be called the Office of Wage
Standards, and will be housed within the Bureau of Contract Administration, which
currently enforces living and prevailing wage requirements. The City of Los Angeles
staffing level and outreach budget is based on the San Francisco and Seattle models,
but is proportionally slightly larger, taking into account that Los Angeles has a higher
percentage of low-wage workers than do Seattle or San Francisco, and that it has one
of the highest rates of wage theft in the country, estimated at 30% of low wage
employees receiving less than the minimum wage in any given week.9 The Office of
8 “Increase to the Minimum Wage in Berkeley” (ref. City of San Jose data).
9 “Los Angeles Rising, A City that Works for Everyone,” Economic Roundtable et al.
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Wage Standards will serve the city’s approximately 5.5 million workers. At least initially,
wage enforcement will likely present a significant challenge for the City of Los Angeles
because of its very large workforce, high concentration of low wage workers, and the
fact that it has not previously been required to enforce wage laws.
Los Angeles County (County), which adopted a minimum wage that will reach $15 per
hour by 2020, will also establish an enforcement system. The County’s Wage
Enforcement Program (WEP) will be located in the Department of Consumer and
Business Affairs (DCBA). The enforcement program consists of 5 positions in the first
year, with an opportunity, upon approval by the Board of Supervisors the following year,
for additional positions to accommodate emerging workloads. The County will initially
have authority over an estimated 15,000 businesses in unincorporated areas.
Approximately 67% of these businesses are in the services (39%), retail (21%), and
food service (7%) categories. The DCBA’s WEP unit will focus on education,
prevention, complaint investigation, and wage recovery. Its primary goal will be to
educate and inform employees and employers of their rights and responsibilities in
order to achieve voluntary compliance with minimum intervention. The DCBA has 40
years of experience with local, state, and Federal consumer protectio n laws, which it
can apply to enforcing local minimum wage ordinances. The initial work plan includes
comprehensive publicity and education programs, including establishing an information
center, providing online resources, creating promotional materials, conducting
educational trainings and workshops, and identifying and partnering with community
based organizations. Like San Francisco and the City of Los Angeles, and consistent
with wage enforcement expert recommendations, the County will implement proa ctive
enforcement strategies, as well as complaint-driven and targeted enforcement of
particularly vulnerable industries. The County has included in its work plan the capacity
to provide contract service to incorporated cities.
Stakeholder input. Staff discussed education and enforcement with the UCLA Labor
Center, ROC LA, Unite Here, and Chamber of Commerce and SMTT groups. The
worker advocacy groups recommended that Santa Monica adopt the provisions
included in the San Francisco and Los Angeles ordinances, with some additions to
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strengthen these provisions. They strongly recommended the City partner with
community based organizations for outreach and education, and work with the Los
Angeles City or County enforcement agencies. Business groups support ed strong
enforcement of noncompliant businesses, and recommended that the City have a
strong enforcement plan in place before adopting an ordinance. They supported the
City conducting an extensive education campaign to make new requirements clear, and
inform the community of the new requirements. Staff reached out to Los Angeles City
and County enforcement divisions to discuss partnering in enforcement. The Los
Angeles County group was very receptive, and staff has established that there are no
legal or other barriers to pursuing a contract with them.
Recommendation. Staff recommends a very rigorous enforcement program, including
provisions building from the San Francisco and Los Angeles ordinances, to ensure
compliance with the minimum wage regulatory scheme. The proposed ordinance
authorizes criminal penalties for violations of the ordinance. Consistent with well-
established legal precedent in the area of criminal penalties relating to a regulatory
program, many of the violations will be subject to a strict liability standard. Furthermore,
consistent with Penal Code sections 800 et seq. and case law interpreting those
statutory provisions, the statute of limitations to bring a prosecution under this ordinance
will be tolled until three years following discovery of the offense. The proposed
ordinance also authorizes civil remedies, including a private right of action, fee -shifting
provisions, and treble damages for willful violations.
Staff recommends continuing discussions and negotiations with Los Angeles County for
enforcement, as well as initiating an education and outreach campaign through local
community organizations and marketing specialists. The City currently works with Los
Angeles County on some areas of enforcement currently. The County has considerable
experience investigating a diverse array of constituent complaints, and staff believes
that, compared to the City of Los Angeles, the County has better capacity to oversee
both workers its own workforce (the unincorporated areas of the County) and workers
within the City of Santa Monica. While contracting with the City of Los Angeles provides
a more seamless geographical match with the jurisdiction that surrounds Santa Monica
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on three sides, Santa Monica would represent a tiny fraction of LA’s scope. Contracting
with the County would be more likely to result in a collaborative partnership. The
County plans to do complaint-based and targeted investigation, which is consistent with
ROC LA and UCLA Labor Center recommendations for effective outreach. Upon
Council approval, staff would propose a budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year and return
with a request for authorization of a contract with Los Angeles County for enforcement.
As part of any agreement, staff anticipates that the City would handle any complaints
that are particularly complex or that require prosecution. This could mean additional
work for the City’s attorneys, hearing officers, and support staff.
Staff recommends working with community organizations, and is requesting $80,000
initially for education and outreach, based on the amount that San Francisco allocates
annually. With Council approval, staff would issue a request for proposals for outreach,
education, and marketing services, with the goal of beginning the outreach a nd
education campaign in early spring 2016. Staff envisions contributing to LA County
outreach and education contracts, which would expand these efforts to cover Santa
Monica in a regional approach. The City and County could also collaborate in
supporting community-based organization’s work to identify incidents of wage theft and
other violations.
Staff would monitor the outreach and enforcement approach for effectiveness, and
could adjust the contract or change the plan if necessary. Partnering with LA County
would satisfy the need for dedicated staff to focus on wage enforcement, and would
provide flexibility to adjust funding and resources based on activity.
With community partners, staff also recommends researching incentive programs and
other ways to reward businesses that provide strong employee wages and benefits,
similar to the City’s Healthy Nail Salons program and the Office of Sustainability energy
efficiency awards.
Alternative. The City could establish an internal wage enforcement function. This
would require additional code enforcement, public information, attorney, staff support ,
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and hearing officer time. This approach could potentially provide more focused time on
Santa Monica businesses, and the City would have more direct control over any
investigations. Also, Code Enforcement staff already has an established system in
place for tracking of enforcement actions and integration with the City Attorney’s Office
for both administrative and criminal proceedings. However, there is little data to
understand the potential workload and cost associated with this task, the approach
would not take advantage of existing capacity at the County level, and it could be
challenging to establish in the short time span.
Comparison to LA ordinance
Since the initial report to Council on September 29, 2015, staff has noted the
importance of adopting an ordinance similar to that of Los Angeles to avoid regional
market distortion and facilitate compliance and enforcement. From conversations with
LA County and based on careful consideration, staff believes that the differences
between the proposed ordinance and those adopted by the City of Los Angeles and Los
Angeles County will not be detrimental to regional coordination. In some cases, the
ways in which Santa Monica’s proposed ordinance differs from these laws will make
enforcement and compliance simpler. For example, in adopting a hotel wage with no
tiers, and in strengthening noticing requirements. In the case of seasonal exemption,
the Santa Monica proposed ordinance provides a learner exemption that is similar to
existing State. Moreover, the accrual rate proposed for paid time off matches the
accrual rate under State law. In areas where the City of Los Angeles has yet to make a
determination, it is possible that Santa Monica’s ordinance can serve as a model.
Wage Laws in Santa Monica
If Council adopts the proposed minimum wage and hotel wage, Santa Monica will have
three wage levels in effect: (1) the living wage, applying to city contracts of $54,200 or
greater ($15.37 per hour); (2) the minimum wage, applying to most business and
reaching $15 per hour for all non-hotel businesses by 2021; and (3) a hotel wage,
reaching $15.37 per hour in 2017 for all hotel workers. Each of these wages includes
an annual inflation increase, such that without a change to any law, the City will
maintain three different wage levels indefinitely. Staff recommends reviewing wage
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laws periodically to assess opportunities for synchronizing them, potentially following
2021 when all will approach a similar level.
The proposed ordinance includes data reporting requirements related to the ordinance.
If the ordinance is adopted, staff would report to Council within the first 12 months of
implementation of the local minimum wage law. Given this is a relatively new and
untested realm of public policy and that there will also be greater national experience
and research by the fall of 2017, a data-driven approach to effectively and equitably
meet the law’s objectives may suggest future modifications.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Increasing the City’s minimum wage could impact the City’s expenditures and revenue
in a variety of areas. In the near term, staff anticipates incurring expenses related to
outreach and enforcement.
Approving the recommendation to move forward with marketing and outreach requires a
one-time appropriation in the amount of $80,000. The appropriation will be included in
the FY 2015-16 Midyear Budget for Council approval. Staff expects to award grants in
spring 2016, and will request additional funding if necessary.
Approving the recommendation to contract with Los Angeles County will require an
additional appropriation. The amount is not available at this time, and will depend on
the Los Angeles County proposal and types of services requested. Staff will pursue
marketing and outreach contracts, and will request additional funding if necessary.
Implementing the recommendation could also affect sales, transient occupancy, and
other tax revenue related to the economic activity of the City. Staff will monitor these
areas, and report to Council on any revenue changes along with its biannual financial
status updates. Staff will also generally monitor implementation of the ordinance and
return to Council if there is evidence of significant economic impacts.
In addition to the recommended report on the first year of implementation, staff is
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committed to ongoing review of this policy and its impact on employment, businesses,
and general welfare. Where appropriate, and particularly where it can be combined with
other data collection (like the annual resident survey), staff will assess impact of the
minimum wage and report to Council on these impacts, including recommendations for
changes if required.
Prepared By: Stephanie Lazicki, Principal Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. June 9, 2015 (Web link)
B. September 29, 2015 (Web link)
C. December 16, 2015 (Web link)
D. Attachment D - Ordinance Setting a Minimum Wage in Santa Monica
E. Attachment E - Alternatives to Minimum Wage Ordinance Language
F. Attachment F - Outline of Minimum Wage Recommendations and Alternatives
G. Attachment G - SMNRC Service Charge Language
H. Attachment H - Unite Here, ROC, CLEAN Car Wash Service Charge Language
I. Attachment I - SMNRC Letter
1
Minimum Wage Ordinance – Proposed Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Alternative
1. City of Los Angeles’ Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Language
4.63.015 Wages.
(a) Hotel Employers shall pay Hotel Workers a wage of no less than the hourly rates set
under this section.
(b) Effective July 1, 2016, the minimum wage for each Hotel Worker shall be $15.37 per
hour, not including tips or gratuities, service charge distributions, or bonuses . On July 1,
2017, and annually thereafter, the minimum wage will increase based on the Consumer
Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Los Angeles
metropolitan area (Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, California), which is published
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The City shall announce the adjusted rates annually
each January 1st and publish a bulletin announcing the adjusted rates, which shall take
effect on July 1st of each year.
ATTACHMENT E
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Minimum Wage Ordinance – Proposed Service Charges Alternatives
1. Santa Monica Neighborhood Restaurant Coalition Proposed Language
4.65.050 Service charges.
(a) Service charges, if assessed and specifically labeled “Service Charge”, shall be
distributed to the employee(s) or general group of employees who performed services
for the customer(s) from whom the service charges were collected within a particular
payroll period.
(1) Any non-salaried employee may be the recipient of “service charge” fees.
(2) These amounts shall be paid to the employee(s) equitably, as decided upon by the
employer, and in consideration of the general services that are, or appear to be related
to, the description of the amounts described by the employer to the customer(s).
(3) These amounts shall be paid to the employee(s) within the next payroll cycle
following the collection of the amounts from the customer(s).
(4) Other “surcharges”, to be used at the discretion of the employer, may be assessed
by a business on a bill of sale, provided the title of such surcharge is described in such
a way that customers might easily and reasonably deduce what the charge is for, or to
whom it will be given.
(b) This Section does not apply to any tip, gratuity, money, or part of any tip, gratuity, or
money that has been paid or given to or left for an employee by customers over and
above the actual amount due for services rendered or for goods, food, drink, and
articles sold or served to customers.
ATTACHMENT E
3
2. UNITE HERE Local 11, Restaurant Opportunity Center of Los Angeles, and
CLEAN Carwash Campaign Proposed Language
4.65.010 Definitions.
(h) "Service Charge" means all separately-designated amounts charged and collected
by an employer from customers that are for service by employees or benefits to
employees, or are described in such a way that customers might reasonably believe
that the amounts are for those services or benefits, including but not limited to those
charges designated on receipts, invoices, or billing statements under the term "service
charge," "table charge," "delivery charge," "porterage charge," "automatic gratuity
charge," “health care surcharge” or similar language.
4.65.050 Service charges.
(a) Service charges shall not be retained by the employer but shall be paid in the
entirety by the employer to the employee(s) who performed services for the customer
from whom the service charges are collected. No part of these amounts may be paid to
supervisory or managerial employees. No employer or agent thereof shall deduct any
amount from wages due an employee on account of a service charge, or require an
employee to credit the amount, or any part thereof, of a service charge against and as a
part of the wages due the employee from the employer.
(b) Amounts collected as service charges shall be paid to employee(s) equitably and
according to the services that are or appear to be related to the description of the
amounts given by the employer to the customers. Non-management and non-
supervisory employees who contribute to the service for the patron for which the service
ATTACHMENT E
4
charge is collected, including those who do not provide direct service, may share in the
distribution of the service charge.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing:
(1) Amounts collected for banquets or catered meetings shall be paid to the employees
who actually wait on guests at the banquet or catered meeting;
(2) Amounts collected for room service shall be paid to the employees who actually
deliver food and beverage associated with the charge; and
(3) Amounts collected for porterage service shall be paid to the employees who actually
carry the baggage associated with the charge;
Provided, however, that employers which had as of November 30, 2015 an existing
practice of pooling and distributing these service charges to non-management/non-
supervisory employees other than the above-listed employees may continue such
practice to the same extent.
(d) Each employer shall disclose in writing to each employee its plan of distribution of
service charges to employees and shall report to employees on each payroll date on the
amount of service charges collected and amounts distributed to employees for the pay
period in question.
(e) The amounts shall be paid to the employee(s) no later than the next payroll following
collection of an amount from the customers, except that any service charges collected
in cash shall be paid to employees at the close of business on the day the charges are
collected.
(f) An employer that permits patrons to pay service charges by credit card shall pay the
employees the full amount of the service charge that the patron indicated on the credit
ATTACHMENT E
5
card slip, without any deductions for any credit card payment processing fees or costs
that may be charged to the employer by the credit card company.
(g) This section does not apply to any tip, gratuity, money, or part of any tip, gratuity, or
money that has been paid or given to or left for an employee by customers over and
above the actual amount due for services rendered or for goods, food, drink, or articles
sold or served to the customer.
ATTACHMENT E
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Minimum Wage Ordinance – Proposed Seasonal Exemption Alternative
1. Pacific Park Proposed Language
4.62.036 Seasonal employee exemption.
(a) The requirements of this Chapter shall not apply to any Employee who is employed
under a written temporary services agreement for a period not to exceed 6 months in
any 12-month period, provided that the Employer at all times during the 12-month
period also employs at least 50 Employees who work at least 35 hours per week on
average and are paid at least the minimum wages established under this Chapter.
(b) Any Employer that seeks job applicants in accordance with this section must
disclose in the job advertisement that the vacant position(s) is for seasonal employees
and that the compensation is not subject to the requirements of this Chapter.
ATTACHMENT E
7
Minimum Wage Ordinance – Proposed Paid Leave Alternative
1. Chapter 4.65 Minimum Wage Ordinance
General Five Days (40 Hrs) / Nine Days (72 Hrs) Paid Sick Leave
4.62.025 Paid sick leave.
(a) For Employees working for an Employer on or before the operative date of this
Chapter, paid sick leave shall begin to accrue as of the operative date of this Chapter.
For Employees hired by an Employer after the operative date of this Chapter, paid sick
leave shall begin to accrue 90 days after the commencement of employment with the
Employer.
(b) An Employee shall accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
Such paid sick leave shall accrue only in hour-unit increments; there shall be no accrual
of a fraction of an hour of such time off.
(1) For Employers with 26 or more Employees, the Employer shall provide at least 72
hours of accrued paid sick leave. Unused accrued paid sick leave will carry over until the
paid sick leave reaches a maximum of 72 hours, unless the Employer’s established policy
is more generous.
(2) For Employers with 25 or fewer Employees, the Employer shall provide at least 40
hours of accrued paid sick leave. Unused accrued paid sick leave will carry over until the
paid sick leave reaches a maximum of 40 hours, unless the Employer’s established policy
is more generous.
(c) An Employee may use paid sick leave consistent with State sick leave laws.
(d) An Employee is eligible to use accrued paid sick leave after the first 90 days of
employment or consistent with the Employer’s policies, whichever is sooner.
ATTACHMENT E
8
(e) An Employer is not required to provide financial or other reimbursement to an
Employee upon the Employee's termination, resignation, retirement, or other separation
from employment, for unused accrued paid sick leave.
(f) An Employer may not require, as a condition of an Employee's taking paid sick leave,
that the Employee search for or find a replacement worker to cover the hours during which
the Employee is off.
(g) An Employer may require Employees to give reasonable notification of an absence
from work for which paid sick leave is or will be used.
(h) The provisions of this section provide minimum requirements pertaining to paid sick
leave and shall not be construed to preempt, limit, or otherwise affect the applicability of
any other law, regulation, policy, or standard that provides for separate or greater accrual
or use by Employees of sick leave, whether compensated or uncompensated, or that
extends other protections to Employees. This section shall not be construed to prevent
an Employer from adopting or retaining leave policies that are more generous than
policies that comply with this section.
2. Hotel Workers Time Off (Based on City of Los Angeles)
4.63.025 Time off.
(a) Compensated time off. A Hotel Employer shall provide at least 96 compensated
hours off per year for sick leave, vacation, or personal necessity, to each full-time Hotel
Worker, to be made available at the Hotel Worker’s request.
(1) A full-time Hotel Worker is classified as someone who works at least 40 hours a week
or in accordance with the Hotel Employer’s policies, if more generous. A full-time Hotel
Worker shall accrue at least the hours equal to the quotient of 96 divided by 52, of
ATTACHMENT E
9
compensated time off each week in a calendar year that the Hotel Worker has been
employed by the Hotel Employer. Compensated time off does not accrue for work in
excess of 40 hours a week. Full-time Hotel Workers who work less than 40 hours a week
will receive compensated time off in proportional increments.
(2) A part-time Hotel Worker is classified as someone who works less than 40 hours per
week or in accordance with the Hotel Employer’s policies, if more generous. A part -time
Hotel Worker shall accrue compensated time off in increments proportional to that
accrued by a full-time Hotel Worker.
(3) A Hotel Worker must be eligible to use accrued compensated time off after the first six
months of employment or consistent with the Hotel Employer’s policies, whichever is
sooner.
(4) Unused accrued compensated time off will carry over until the time off reaches a
maximum of 192 hours, unless the Hotel Employer’s policy is more generous.
(5) After a Hotel worker reaches the maximum accrued compensated time off, the Hotel
Employer shall provide a cash payment once every 30 days for accrued compensated
time off over the maximum. A Hotel Employer may provide the Hotel Worker with the
option of cashing out any portion of, or all of, the Hotel Worker’s accrued compensated
time off under the maximum, but in no event shall the Hotel Employer require the Hotel
Worker to cash out any accrued compensated time off. Compensated time off cashed out
shall be paid to the Hotel Worker at the wage rate that the Hotel Worker is earning at the
time of cash-out.
(b) Uncompensated time off. Hotel Employers shall also provide at least 80 additional
hours of uncompensated time off per year to each full-time Hotel Worker, to be used for
ATTACHMENT E
10
sick leave or illness of the Hotel Worker or a member of his or her immediate family,
where the Hotel Worker has exhausted his or her compensated time off for that year.
(1) A full-time Hotel Worker is classified as someone who works at least 40 hours a week
or in accordance with the Hotel Employer’s policies, if more generous. A full-time Hotel
Worker shall accrue at least the hours equal to the quotient of 80 divided by 52, of
uncompensated time off each week in a calendar year that the Hotel Worker has been
employed by the Hotel Employer. Uncompensated time off does not accrue for work in
excess of 40 hours a week. Full-time Hotel Workers who work less than 40 hours a week
will receive uncompensated time off in proportional increments.
(2) A part-time Hotel Worker is classified as someone who works less than 40 hours per
week or in accordance with the Hotel Employer’s policies, if more generous. A part -time
Hotel Worker shall accrue uncompensated time off in increments proportional to that
accrued by a full-time Hotel Worker.
(3) A Hotel Worker must be eligible to use accrued uncompensated time off after the first
six months of employment or consistent with the Hotel Employer’s policies, whichever is
sooner.
(4) Unused accrued uncompensated time off will carry over until the time off reaches a
maximum of 80 hours, unless the Hotel Employer’s policy is more generous.
(c) A Hotel Employer may not unreasonably deny a Hotel Worker’s request to use accrued
compensated or uncompensated time off.
(d) A Hotel Employer may not implement any policy to count accrued compensated or
uncompensated time off taken under this Chapter as an absence that may result in
discipline, suspension, discharge, or any other adverse action.
ATTACHMENT E
11
(e) This section provides minimum requirements pertaining to compensated time off and
shall not be construed to preempt, limit, or otherwise affect the applicability of any other
law, regulation, policy, or standard that provides for greater accrual or use by Hotel
Workers of time off, whether compensated or uncompensated, or that extends other
protections to Hotel Workers. This Section also shall not be construed to prevent Hotel
Employers from adopting or retaining leave policies that are more generous than policies
that comply with this section.
ATTACHMENT E
MINIMUM WAGE FIRST READING OUTLINE
BASIC PROVISIONS
Recommended minimum wage ordinance conditions applying to all non-hotel employers, phased
increase reaching $15 by July 1, 2020. Inflation increases starting July 1, 2022. Includes the following
exceptions:
One-year delay ($15 by 2021) for businesses with 25 or fewer employees
One-year delay ($15 by 2021) upon approved application for qualifying nonprofit organizations
Exception for 18 months for employees during qualifying training programs
Exception for employees participating in a valid bargaining agreement
RECOMMENDATIONS ON OUTSTANDING TOPICS
HOTEL WAGE – Recommended ordinance conditions for hotels/motels and associated onsite businesses
(excludes the youth hostel)
Minimum wage reaching $13.25 on July 1, 2016 and $15.37 on July 1, 2017 (matches LA process
of phasing in over 2 year). Annual CPI increases starting July 1, 2018.
o Will apply to any connected leased space; any contracted employees working on site
One year waiver upon approval for hotels meeting certain conditions:
o Would need to cut staff by >20% to avoid bankruptcy / shut down OR
o Would need to cut hours by >30% to avoid bankruptcy / shut down
Alternative: $15.37 all hotels starting July 1, 2016. Inflation increases beginning July 1, 2017.
Pros: Matches LA sooner; provides wage increase sooner. Cons: Does not match LA’s phase-in
period; shorter ramp-up so harder for hotels to absorb; could lead to service changes or cuts; or
reduction in jobs or employment hours.
SERVICE CHARGES (applies if employers choose to use a service charge)
Recommended language that draws largely from worker advocacy group proposal
Service charge proceeds must go to employees who generally provide the service
Employees except for those with primarily managerial or supervisory roles can receive service
charge proceeds (can include back of house)
Employers must disclose service charge distribution to all employees
Other surcharges (which could include charges related to maintenance, utilities, health care,
etc.) are allowed as long as clearly described and used as stated
Organizations must clearly describe any charges and their use to customers
Includes protections for employees who currently receive service charge proceeds
Alternative 1: Restaurant advocacy group language: less restrictive, fewer transparency regulations,
eligibility to receive service charge proceeds based on salaried vs. non-salaried status.
Pros: provides flexibility for employers; ensures proceeds go to workers providing the service.
Cons: doesn’t fully address transparency to consumers; doesn’t provide transparency to workers.
Alternative 2: Worker advocacy group language: more restrictive for employers, fewer transparency
regulations, excludes managers and supervisors from eligibility for service charge proceeds, does not
affirm employers’ ability to use other surcharges.
Pros: ensures proceeds go to workers providing the service. Cons: doesn’t fully address
transparency to consumers, broadens definition of service charge to include other expenses
ATTACHMENT F
FIRST TIME WORKERS / SEASONAL EMPLOYERS
Recommended language provides an exception for first time workers and assists businesses with
seasonal needs:
Exception at 85% of minimum wage for the first 480 hours or six months, whichever is sooner,
for employees working in an occupation or activity for the first time (480 hours=6 months @ 20
hours, 3 months @ 40 hours). No age restriction (State learner provision with extended hours).
Alternative: Pacific Park proposed language: Exemption for employees working six months or less out of
any one year period under a temporary services agreement. Employers must also employ 50 or more
employees working at least 35 hours per week and earning at least minimum wage
Pros: Per Pacific Park, could help keep pier entertainment affordable, and preserve employment
and hours at current levels, including first employment opportunity for many workers. Cons:
Language is broad enough that movie theaters / large retailers, etc. could be eligible. Absent
State-level minimum wage changes, would create a 50% gap by 2020. Could hurt youth / first
time workers by keeping salaries low.
PAID LEAVE
Recommended language to apply to all organizations as follows:
Accrue 1 hour for every 30 worked (same as State). Accrual cap 72 hours (9 days) for businesses
with 26 or more employees; 40 hours (5 days) for smaller businesses. (Goes beyond state
accrual cap of 48 hours / 3 days; matches SF and Oakland)
o Can be used for sick, vacation, or personal leave; can carry over hours, no cash out
Alternative: Hotels match LA’s Hotel wage leave provisions; all others accrual cap 9 days for large
businesses; 5 days for smaller businesses.
Hotels: 12 days paid leave; 10 days unpaid sick leave (same as LA hotel ordinance)
o Maximum 192 hours accrual; cash payout once every 30 days for time accrued over the
maximum
Pros: Provides consistency with Los Angeles hotels. Cons: Inconsistent with other Santa Monica
businesses. For hotels, short ramp up time to implement potentially large change.
EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT
Outreach and education plan and budget request for community partner grants and marketing
($80k based on SF grant amounts)
Direction to negotiate with City / County of LA for Enforcement (amount unknown at this time)
and return with proposed contract terms
Include common enforcement methods (those recommended by the UCLA Labor Center):
Revoke Licenses Permits Contracts, Liens, Posting & Payroll Access, Fines & Penalties, Criminal
Penalties, Private Right of Action, Retaliation Protection.
Alternative: All enforcement in house.
Pros: retain internal control, potentially more responsive. Cons: More costly; time consuming;
unable to respond to variation in workload volume; does not take advantage of regional
opportunities and expertise.
ATTACHMENT F
Suggested
Edits
to
the
Santa
Monica
Minimum
Wage
Ordinance
11.10.15
FROM
THE
ORDINANCE:
DEFINITION
OF
SERVICE
CHARGE:
(h)"Service
charge"
means
all
separately-‐designated
amounts
charged
and
collected
by
an
employer
from
customers
that
are
for
service
by
employees
or
benefits
to
employees.
or
are
described
in
such
a
way
that
customers
might
reasonably
believe
that
the
amounts
are
for
those
services
or
benefits.
including
but
not
limited
to
those
charges
designated
on
receipts.
invoices.
or
billing
statements
under
the
term
"service
charge."
"delivery
charge."
"porterage
charge",
"health
care
surcharge,"
or
similar
language.
SERVICE
CHARGE
CLAUSE:
4.65.050
Service
charges.
(a)Service
charges
shall
not
be
retained
by
the
employer
but
shall
be
paid
in
their
entirety
by
the
employer
to
the
employee(s)
who
performed
services
for
the
customers
from
whom
the
service
charges
are
collected.
No
part
of
these
amounts
may
be
paid
to
supervisory
or
managerial
employees.
The
amounts
shall
be
paid
to
the
employee(s)
equitably
and
according
to
the
services
that
are
or
appear
to
be
related
to
the
description
of
the
amounts
given
by
the
employer
to
the
customers.
The
amounts
shall
be
paid
to
the
employee(s)
in
the
next
payroll
following
collection
of
the
amounts
from
customers.
(b)
This
section
does
not
apply
to
any
tip.
gratuity,
money,
or
part
of
any
tip,
gratuity,
or
money
that
has
been
paid
or
given
to
or
left
for
an
employee
by
customers
over
and
above
the
actual
amount
due
for
services
rendered
or
for
goods,
food,
drink.
or
articles
sold
or
served
to
customers
ATTACHMENT G
FOR
REFERENCE:
DEFINITION
OF
SERVICE
CHARGE
FROM
ORDINANCE:
(h)"Service
charge"
means
all
separately-‐designated
amounts
charged
and
collected
by
an
employer
from
customers
that
are
for
service
by
employees
or
benefits
to
employees.
or
are
described
in
such
a
way
that
customers
might
reasonably
believe
that
the
amounts
are
for
those
services
or
benefits.
including
but
not
limited
to
those
charges
designated
on
receipts.
invoices.
or
billing
statements
under
the
term
"service
charge."
"delivery
charge."
"porterage
charge",
"health
care
surcharge,"
or
similar
language.
SMNRC
NOTES
'But
not
limited
to'
is
scary
language.
What
if
one
clearly
says:
"Air
Conditioning"
fee?
'Delivery
charge'
should
be
taken
out.
Most
restaurants
that
use
online
delivery
platforms
like
Eat24,
GrubHub
and
LABite
charge
a
'Delivery
Charge',
but
it
is
typically
not
retained
by
the
restaurant.
Instead
this
amount
is
passed
straight
through
to
the
delivery
company.
In
other
cases,
it's
used
to
pay
for
the
packaging
and
maintenance
of
the
delivery
program
itself.
This
is
an
example
where
this
charge
is
assessed
in
addition
to
providing
an
opportunity
for
people
to
collect
tips.
‘Similar
Language’
is
also
too
broad.
ATTACHMENT G
RECOMMENDED
SERVICE
CHARGE
LANGUAGE
VERSION
1:
4.65.050
Service
charges.
(a)Service
charges,
if
assessed
and
specifically
labeled
“Service
Charge”,
shall
be
distributed
to
the
employee(s)
or
general
group
of
employees
who
performed
service(s)
for
the
customer(s)
from
whom
the
service
charge(s)
were
collected
within
a
particular
payroll
period.
Any
non-‐salaried
employee
may
be
the
recipient
of
“service
charge”
fee(s).
These
amounts
shall
be
paid
to
the
employee(s)
equitably,
as
decided
upon
by
the
employer,
and
in
consideration
of
the
general
service(s)
that
are,
or
appear
to
be
related
to
the
description
of
the
amounts
described
by
the
employer
to
the
customer(s).
These
amounts
shall
be
paid
to
the
employee(s)
within
the
next
payroll
cycle
following
the
collection
of
the
amounts
from
customer(s).
Other
“Surcharges”,
to
be
used
at
the
discretion
of
the
employer,
may
be
assessed
by
a
business
on
a
bill
of
sale
provided
the
title
of
such
surcharge
is
described
in
such
a
way
that
customers
might
easily
and
reasonably
deduce
what
the
charge
is
for,
or
to
whom
it
will
be
given.
(b)
This
section
does
not
apply
to
any
tip,
gratuity,
money,
or
part
of
any
tip,
gratuity,
or
money
that
has
been
paid
or
given
to
or
left
for
an
employee
by
customers
over
and
above
the
actual
amount
due
for
services
rendered
or
for
goods,
food,
drink.
or
articles
sold
or
served
to
customers.
ATTACHMENT G
1
Proposed Language on Service Charges for Santa Monica Minimum Wage Ordinance
(a) Service charges shall not be retained by the employer but shall be paid in the entirety by
the employer to the employee(s) who performed services for the customer from whom
the service charges are collected. No part of these amounts may be paid to supervisory or
managerial employees. No employer or agent thereof shall deduct any amount from
wages due an employee on account of a service charge, or require an employee to credit
the amount, or any part thereof, of a service charge against and as a part of the wages due
the employee from the employer.
(b) Amounts collected as service charges shall be paid to employee(s) equitably and
according to the services that are or appear to be related to the description of the amounts
given by the employer to the customers. Non-management and non-supervisory
employees who contribute to the service for the patron for which the service charge is
collected, including those who do not provide direct service, may share in the distribution
of the service charge.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing:
1. Amounts collected for banquets or catered meetings shall be paid to the employees
who actually wait on guests at the banquet or catered meeting;
2. Amounts collected for room service shall be paid to the employees who actually
deliver food and beverage associated with the charge; and
3. Amounts collected for porterage service shall be paid to the employees who
actually carry the baggage associated with the charge;
Provided, however, that employers which had as of November 30, 2015 an existing
practice of pooling and distributing these service charges to non-management/non-
supervisory employees other than the above-listed employees may continue such practice
to the same extent.
(d) Each employer shall disclose in writing to each employee its plan of distribution of
service charges to employees and shall report to employees on each payroll date on the
amount of service charges collected and amounts distributed to employees for the pay
period in question.
(e) The amounts shall be paid to the employee(s) no later than the next payroll following
collection of an amount from the customers, except that any service charges collected in
cash shall be paid to employees at the close of business on the day the charges are
collected.
(f) An employer that permits patrons to pay service charges by credit card shall pay the
employees the full amount of the service charge that the patron indicated on the credit
card slip, without any deductions for any credit card payment processing fees or costs
ATTACHMENT H
2
that may be charged to the employer by the credit card company.
(g) This section does not apply to any tip, gratuity, money, or part of any tip, gratuity, or
money that has been paid or given to or left for an employee by customers over and
above the actual amount due for services rendered or for goods, food, drink, or articles
sold or served to the customer.
Definitions:
"Service Charge" means all separately-designated amounts charged and collected by an employer
from customers that are for service by employees or benefits to employees, or are described in
such a way that customers might reasonably believe that the amounts are for those services or
benefits, including but not limited to those charges designated on receipts, invoices, or billing
statements under the term "service charge," "table charge," "delivery charge," "porterage
charge," "automatic gratuity charge," “health care surcharge” or similar language.
ATTACHMENT H
To: Santa Monica City Staff, Santa Monica City Council
From: Santa Monica Neighborhood Restaurant Coalition
Date: 12.22.15
RE: Preliminary Staff Direction on Minimum Wage Ordinance
City Staff-
Thank you for releasing your preliminary recommendations the other day, we
appreciated the opportunity to give you some more feedback before the first draft
is written. We also want to thank you for taking some time to meet with us to clarify
some of these outstanding issues.
To recap our thoughts: We think this is a good middle ground on most issues. We
appreciate your clearly thoughtful analysis on service charges, for example.
That said, there are a couple of minor, but important points we think merit
rewording.
First and foremost, it's very important and indicative of the true intention of the
service charge clause to allow ‘supervisory’, employees to continue to participate,
as they currently do in tip pools. We happily acknowledge the use of the word
"primarily" which we believe gives a nod to the ‘51% rule’ outlined in ‘exempt vs.
nonexempt’ employees in regards to overtime, etc. If this is the case, we think it's
great but needs to be clarified further so there’s no confusion.
As we’ve explained on several occasions, many restaurants, hotels, bars and resorts
have "supervisors" who are not full-fledged managers but who do have some minor
level of authority, typically when dealing with computer issues, locking up at the end
of the night, etc.
Primarily though, their work consists of doing the same job as hourly employees-
serving customers.
It would be a mistake to exclude them from a service charge or tip pool and would
not only do them a disservice, but immediately incentivize employees to eschew
any form of responsibility at all for fear of being excluded in this opportunity to earn
extra income.
Starbucks recently had a case in the courts addressing just that. Please reference
Barenboim v. Starbucks, which concerned tip pooling under New York's state labor
laws. The plaintiffs were baristas who argued that their shift supervisors should not
have been allowed to participate in Starbucks' tip pool. The court, however, found
that the shift supervisors spent the majority of their time performing the same
duties as the baristas and primarily were responsible for serving food and beverages
to customers. The court concluded that the shift supervisor's managerial
responsibilities were limited and they primarily provided personal service to
customers. Thus, the supervisor's participation in the tip pool was appropriate under
New York law.
The same logic should apply in California.
Clearly, employees who are primarily managers or who spend more than 51% of
their time using ‘judgment calls’ to direct or discipline other employees should not
be able to participate in that tip pool or service charge pool. That we can agree on.
Salaried employees should also be barred from participating.
Even more important than the service charge issue though is some language we
hope has been confused or misconstrued at some point in the process regarding
what is now being referred to as “Paid Time Off”.
Originally, the conversation surrounded ‘sick leave’ and the desire for Santa Monica
to perhaps go above and beyond what the state mandated on July 1 of 2015-Six
days accrued/three days used per year. The idea was that perhaps five or seven
days was more appropriate.
This is not what’s indicated in the initial language though… Instead, the net effect of
this particular item (as it’s currently written) is to basically give all employees 1 to 2
weeks of paid vacation every year that they can take any time with no notice, for
whatever reason and an employer has no recourse against them for doing so.
We are assuming this was an oversight based on our discussions this week.
If this is not amended though, the uproar in the business community will be
deafening. I’ve already gotten many calls and emails about it, less than 24 hours
after it was released. Many questions surrounding the legality of it has naturally been
called into question as well. I’m sure the City Attorneys office will weigh in on that.
Here’s the most troublesome part: “Can be used for sick, vacation, or personal
leave; can carry over hours, no cash out.”
Paid Sick Leave should not include the words "Vacation” or “Personal leave" and it
should certainly not roll over from year-to-year, unless it is only referring to the
accrual, not the use. I’m assuming that will be clarified?
If this refers to use, not just accrual, that basically means that in three years after the
ordinance takes effect, an employer could have an employee come to them and say
"You know what, I’m going to take a month off for ‘personal time’ or because I want
a vacation and there is nothing you can do about it". *After chatting with some of you, this
was clarified, so thanks for that.
We believe in paid time off. We believe it's valuable for individuals and society but
giving all employees 9 days of de facto vacation time is not the way to go about it.
There need to be rules employees must follow to maintain order and structure
within a company and there are limits to which the government should regulate that.
If the ‘baseline’ is 9 days of paid time off for all employees, it de-incentivizes
companies to provide other benefits or issue raises/promotions simply because they
would now be budgeting for this unprecedented additional cost.
It goes without saying that since council has clearly indicated its intention to approve
waivers for C.B.A.’s, this is yet another item adding fuel to the fire for opponents of
that.
Enough is enough. Please be reasonable and pass an ordinance we can all live with
and manage productively.
FYI, “Vacation” and “Personal Leave” are not mentioned anywhere in the ordinances
of our neighbors to the north, whom council has clearly set out to emulate. Here’s
some literature for reference:
The City of Emeryville:
http://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/1024/Minimum-Wage-Ordinance
http://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/8034
The City of San Francisco:
http://www.sfgov.org/olse/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/13606-
FAQs%20on%20PSLO%20and%20CA%20PSL%2011_13_15%20Final3.pdf
http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/administrative/chapter12wsicklea
ve*?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:sanfrancisco_ca
The City of Oakland:
http://www.govdocs.com/oakland-2015-minimum-wage-paid-sick-leave-postings/
http://oaklandchamber.com/files/1675.pdf
http://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/PDFS/Guides%20and%20FAQs/Revised%20Meas
ure%20FF%20FAQ%20Feb%202015.pdf
Oakland does address the nuances of PTO and Sick Leave overlapping though:
27. Will an employer’s Paid Time Off (PTO) or Vacation policy satisfy the requirements of
Oakland’s Paid Sick Leave? Answer: Possibly. If an employer has a paid leave policy, such as a PTO
or vacation policy, that makes available to employees paid leave that may be used for the same purposes
specified in the Measure (or for any purpose) and the policy is sufficient to meet the Measure’s
requirements for paid sick leave accrual, then an employer is not required to provide additional paid
sick leave.
This CLEARLY delineates between “PTO” (vacation) and (Sick Leave). To lump them
together would be unprecedented and unquestionably damaging to the business
community, and there is little doubt that it would be challenged in the courts.
The bottom line is that employers should be the ones deciding what benefits to
offer in this regard as a mechanism to attract/retain quality employees and foster a
healthy work-life balance, not the City Government. Especially considering this
would put Santa Monica businesses at an extreme disadvantage to our Los Angeles
counter-parts.
That said, here’s our suggestion: “Accrue 1 hour for every 30 worked (same as
State). Accrual cap 48 hours (6 days) for businesses with 26 or more
employees; 32 hours (4 days) for smaller businesses. (Goes beyond state
accrual cap of 48 hours / 3 days)
Can be used for sick, or family medical leave in accordance with state law.
See: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Paid_Sick_Leave.htm for guidelines of use.
Can roll-over hours for accrual, but limit yearly use to 48 hours (or 6 days) for
large businesses, 32 hours (or 4 days) for smaller employers.
No cash out upon separation of employment relationship.”
We feel this is more than reasonable middle-ground for all parties considered.
Please feel free to call me anytime with questions or to clarify any of these
concerns.
Respectfully,
Hunter G. Hall
Santa Monica Neighborhood Restaurant Coalition
www.SMNRC.net
info@smnrc.net