Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives

On August 15, 2024, the California Supreme Court held in a unanimous decision that public employers are not “employers” within the meaning of the meal-and-rest-break provisions of the California Labor Code, and the California Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) exempts public employers from penalties for violations of Labor Code provisions carrying their own penalties.  The Court’s ruling substantial limits public employees’ ability to sue for wage-and-hour violations.