Calif. law will require OT for domestic workers

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will temporarily require overtime pay for domestic workers in California.

Under the new law, domestic workers must be paid time-and-a-half if they work more than nine hours in a shift or more than 45 hours in a week. Part-time baby-sitters are exempt.

The overtime requirement will take effect in January and end in January 2017 unless renewed by the Legislature.

Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco initially sought to require meal and rest breaks for housekeepers, nannies and workers who care for the disabled and elderly, but those provisions were eliminated.

Brown signed AB241 Thursday. He vetoed a broader bill last year, citing concerns about the proposal’s increased costs.

New York and Hawaii also have protections for domestic workers.