(A) No employer shall be deemed to have violated the daily overtime provisions by instituting, pursuant to the election procedures set forth in this wage order, a regularly scheduled alternative workweek schedule of not more than ten (10) hours per day within a forty (40) hour workweek without the payment of an overtime rate of compensation. All work performed in any workday beyond the schedule established by the agreement up to twelve (12) hours a day or beyond forty (40) hours per week shall be paid at one and one-half (1 ½) times the employee's regular rate of pay. All work performed in excess of twelve (12) hours per day and any work in excess of eight (8) hours on those days worked beyond the regularly scheduled number of workdays established by the alternative workweek agreement shall be paid at double the employee's regular rate of pay. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an employer, at the request of the employee, to substitute one day of work for another day of the same length in the shift provided by the alternative workweek agreement on an occasional basis to meet the personal needs of the employee without the payment of overtime. No hours paid at either one and one-half (1 ½) or double the regular rate of pay shall be included in determining when forty (40) hours have been worked for the purpose of computing overtime compensation.

(B) If an employer, whose employees have adopted an alternative workweek agreement permitted by this order requires an employee to work fewer hours than those that are regularly scheduled by the agreement, the employer shall pay the employee overtime compensation at a rate of one and one-half (1 ½) times the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of eight (8) hours, and double the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of twelve (12) hours for the day the employee is required to work the reduced hours.

(C) An employer shall not reduce an employee's regular rate of hourly pay as a result of the adoption, repeal or nullification of an alternative workweek schedule.

(D) An employer shall explore any available reasonable alternative means of accommodating the religious belief or observance of an affected employee that conflicts with an adopted alternative workweek schedule, in the manner provided by subdivision (j) of Section 12940 of the Government Code.

(E) An employer shall make a reasonable effort to find a work schedule not to exceed eight (8) hours in a workday, in order to accommodate any affected employee who was eligible to vote in an election authorized by this Section and who is unable to work the alternative workweek schedule established as the result of that election.

(F) An employer shall be permitted, but not required, to provide a work schedule not to exceed eight (8) hours in a workday to accommodate any employee who is hired after the date of the election and who is unable to work the alternative workweek schedule established by the election.

(G) The provisions of Labor Code §§ 551 and 552 regarding one (1) day’s rest in seven (7) shall not be construed to prevent an accumulation of days of rest when the nature of the employment reasonably requires the employee to work seven (7) or more consecutive days; provided, however, that in each calendar month, the employee shall receive the equivalent of one (1) day’s rest in seven (7).

(H) Notwithstanding the above provisions regarding alternative workweek schedules, no employer of employees in the health care industry shall be deemed to have violated the daily overtime provisions by instituting, pursuant to the election procedures set forth in this wage order a regularly scheduled alternative workweek schedule that includes work days exceeding ten (10) hours but not more than twelve (12) hours within a 40-hour workweek without the payment of overtime compensation, provided that:

(I) If an employee was voluntarily working an alternative workweek schedule as of July 1, 1999, that was an individual agreement made after January 1, 1998 between the employee and employer, and that agreement provides for a workday of not more than ten (10) hours, that employee may continue to work that alternative workweek schedule without payment of an overtime rate of compensation for the hours provided in that schedule if the employee submits, and the employer approves, a written request to do so. Any such request and approval must be made on or before May 30, 2000. An employee may revoke his or her voluntary authorization to continue such a schedule with thirty (30) days written notice to the employer.

(J) No employee assigned to work a twelve (12) hour shift established pursuant to this Order shall be required to work more than thirteen (13) hours in any 24-hour period unless the Chief Nursing Officer or authorized executive declares that:

(K) Arrangements adopted in a secret ballot election held pursuant to this order prior to 1998, or under the rules in effect prior to 1998, and before the performance of the work, shall remain valid after July 1, 2000. As of July 1, 2000, new arrangements can be entered into pursuant to the provisions of this section. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a health care industry employer implemented a reduced rate for twelve (12) hour shift employees in the last quarter of 1999 and desires to reimplement a flexible work arrangement that includes twelve (12) hour shifts at straight time for the same work unit, the employer must pay a base rate to each affected employee in the work unit that is no less than that employee's base rate in 1999 immediately prior to the date of the rate reduction.

(B) In order to be valid, the proposed alternative workweek schedule must be adopted in a secret ballot election, before the performance of work, by at least a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the affected employees in the work unit. The election shall be held during regular working hours at the employees’ work site. For purposes of this subsection, "affected employees in the work unit" may include all employees in a readily identifiable work unit, such as a division, a department, a job classification, a shift, a separate physical location, or a recognized subdivision of any such work unit. A work unit may consist of an individual employee as long as the criteria for an identifiable work unit in this subsection is met.

(C) Prior to the secret ballot vote, any employer who proposed to institute an alternative workweek schedule shall have made a disclosure in writing to the affected employees, including the effects of the proposed arrangement on the employees’ wages, hours, and benefits. Such a disclosure shall include meeting(s), duly noticed, held at least fourteen (14) days prior to voting, for the specific purpose of discussing the effects of the alternative workweek schedule. Failure to comply with this Section shall make the election null and void;

(D) Any election to establish or repeal an alternative workweek schedule shall be held during regular working hours at the worksite of the affected employees. The employer shall bear the costs of conducting any election held pursuant to this section Upon a complaint by an affected employee, and after an investigation by the Labor Commissioner, the Labor Commissioner may require the employer to select a neutral third party to conduct the election.

(E) Any type of alternative workweek schedule that is authorized by the Labor Code may be repealed by the affected employees. Upon a petition of one-third (1/3) of the affected employees, a new secret ballot election shall be held and a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the affected employees shall be required to reverse the alternative workweek schedule. The election to repeal the alternative workweek schedule shall be held not more than 30 days after the petition is submitted to the employer, except that the election shall be held not less that twelve (12) months after the date that the same group of employees voted in an election held to adopt or repeal an alternative workweek schedule. However, where an alternative workweek schedule was adopted between October 1, 1999 and the effective date of this Order, a new secret ballot election to repeal that alternative workweek schedule shall not be subject to the 12-month interval between elections. The election shall take place during regular working hours at the employees’ work site. If the alternative workweek schedule is revoked, the employer shall comply within sixty (60) days. Upon proper showing of undue hardship, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement may grant an extension of time for compliance.

(F) Only secret ballots may be cast by affected employees in the work unit at any election held pursuant to this Section. The results of any election conducted pursuant to this Section shall be reported by the employer to the Division of Labor Statistics and Research within thirty (30) days after the results are final.

(G) Employees affected by a change in work hours resulting from the adoption of an alternative workweek schedule may not be required to work those new work hours for at least thirty (30) days after the announcement of the final results of the election.

An employer shall not reduce an employee's regular rate of hourly pay as a result of the adoption, repeal or nullification of an alternative workweek schedule.

(E) Any type of alternative workweek schedule that is authorized by the Labor Code may be repealed by the affected employees. Upon a petition of one-third (1/3) of the affected employees, a new secret ballot election shall be held and a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the affected employees shall be required to reverse the alternative workweek schedule. The election to repeal the alternative workweek schedule shall be held not more than 30 days after the petition is submitted to the employer, except that the election shall be held not less that twelve (12) months after the date that the same group of employees voted in an election held to adopt or repeal an alternative workweek schedule. The election shall take place during regular working hours at the employees’ work site. If the alternative workweek schedule is revoked, the employer shall comply within sixty (60) days. Upon proper showing of undue hardship, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement may grant an extension of time for compliance.

(A) No employer shall employ any person for a work period of more than five (5) hours without a meal period of not less than thirty (30) minutes, except that when a work period of not more than six (6) hours will complete the day’s work the meal period may be waived by mutual consent of employer and employee. Unless an employee is relieved of all duty during a thirty (30) minute meal period, the meal period shall be considered an "on duty" meal period and counted as time worked. An "on duty" meal period shall be permitted only when the nature of the work prevents an employee from being relieved of all duty and when the employee and employer agree in writing to an on-the-job paid meal period.

(B) In all places of employment where employees are required to eat on the premises, the employer shall designate a suitable place for that purpose.

(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of this order, employees in the health care industry who work shifts in excess of eight (8) hours total in a workday may voluntarily waive their right to a meal period. In order to be valid, any such waiver must be documented in a written agreement that is voluntarily signed by both the employee and the employer. The employee may revoke the waiver at any time by providing the employer at least one (1) day’s written notice. The employee shall be fully compensated for all working time, including an on-the-job meal period, while such a waiver is in effect.