United States of America: Rejected Bill on employer communications during nonworking hours (AB-2751)

On 31 August 2024, the Bill on employer communications during nonworking hours (AB-2751) was rejected by the California Legislature as it failed to pass before the conclusion of the 2023-2024 legislative session. The Bill would have amended the Labour code to empower public officers to carry out their responsibilities effectively, by introducing the right for employees to disconnect from employer communications during nonworking hours. In particular, the amendment would have mandated public and private employers to formulate a workplace policy ensuring employees can ignore work-related communications outside their assigned working hours, except in emergencies or for last-minute scheduling changes. The amendment defined nonworking hours based on a written agreement between the employer and the employee. Furthermore, it allowed employees to report a pattern of violations, defined as three or more instances of infringing the right to disconnect, to the Labor Commissioner. Violations would have been subject to a USD 100 fine.