SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Aug. 16 that he joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of workers to take collective action.
The coalition filed the brief in three similar cases in the U.S. Supreme Court – National Labor Relations Board v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc., Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, and Ernst & Young, LLP v. Morris. In all three cases, employees’ rights to join together in collection action waivers is being challenged. Becerra argues that employees’ right to band together for mutual protection is protected under federal law.
"For many hardworking people in California, collective action is their only realistic option to protect themselves from unlawful conditions in the workplace,” Becerra said. "Some employers abuse workers’ bargaining power when they ask employees to waive their rights. But we must protect this fundamental right. We will not accept unlawful or unsafe working conditions, wage theft or any other actions that jeopardize the rights of California workers.”
The coalition of attorneys general also includes Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, Virginia, Vermont and the District of Columbia.