California bill creating a ‘right to disconnect’ for workers stalls in committee
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A bill that would have made California the first state in the country to give workers a “right to disconnect” has stalled, making it unclear whether it will pass before the legislative session ends later this year.
Assembly Bill 2751, introduced by Asm. Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), was held under submission by the State Assembly’s appropriations committee earlier this week, meaning the committee intends to hold onto the bill indefinitely to work on or discuss it further.
The move does not preclude the bill from having another hearing at a later date. However, its prospects of advancing are uncertain, as the Assembly will have until next Friday to pass bills off to the State Senate ahead of the end of this year’s legislative session in August.
FOX 5/KUSI reached out to Haney’s office for comment on what is next with the measure but did not immediately receive a response.
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Introduced in early April, AB 2751 would have guaranteed workers in the Golden State the ability to have uninterrupted personal and family time by giving them the right to disengage from emails, texts and calls in non-work hours.
Both public and private employers would have been required to establish a right to disconnect policy under the bill. Exceptions for emergencies, discussions of scheduling during off-the-clock hours and stipulations in union agreements were included in the bill’s provisions.
“Work has changed drastically compared to what it was just 10 years ago. Smartphones have blurred the boundaries between work and home life,” Haney said in a statement shortly after introducing the bill. “Workers shouldn’t be punished for not being available 24/7 if they’re not being paid for 24 hours of work.”
Right to disconnect bills are a relatively new worker protection, with 12 countries across the globe implementing some form of law barring non-compensated out-of-work contact since France introduced it in 2017.
Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Italy and Spain are among the countries that have followed suit — all with differing approaches.
Despite some variety across the globe, advocates of right to disconnect measures say the laws have helped people become healthier, happier and more productive in the workplace.
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