Proposed California Bill Would Offer Double Pay For Working Thanksgiving, Christmas Shifts
(CBS SF) -- With more and more stores opening on Thanksgiving, proposed legislation in California could ensure workers get paid extra for spending the holidays at work instead of with their families.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, has a bill that would require stores and restaurants to pay double for working traditional family holidays.
Gonzalez recounted how her mother used to work as a nurse and would sometimes be called in on the holidays.
"When someone's life is at stake, you can get called in to deal with that -- emergency personnel deal with this," Gonzalez said at rally. "But what's grown from necessities (has become) profits for big companies. This is not life and death. This is consumerism."
Another bill from Gonzalez will require California businesses to offer all employees at least three sick days each year.
Walmart closes on Christmas but has stayed open on Thanksgiving for the last two decades. Employees who work that day essentially receive double pay, according to a Walmart spokesperson.