Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA)

Introduction #

California has a unique law which allows for employees to sue on behalf of the state. PAGA is crucial to enforce labor laws where workers have signed arbitration clauses.

This law directly interrelates with arbitration agreements. ¹

Court Cases #

Supreme Court #

Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills, Inc. #

One Line Summary: the Court of Appeal properly concluded that a trial court “cannot dismiss a PAGA claim based on manageability.”

Decision

Lyft, Inc. v. Seifu (petition) #

Other Courts #

Balderas v. Fresh Start Harvesting, Inc. #

California Fair Pay and Employer Accountability Act of 2024 (CFPEAA). #

The employment bar is working on destroying one of the few tools employees for enforcing their rights. Despite what its name says, this act will certainly hurt employees and reduce employer accountability.

References #

Tia Koonse & Minsu Longiaru. (2024). A Shrinking Toolbox: The Corporate Efforts to Eliminate PAGA and Limit California Workers’ Rights. UCLA Labor Center. https://www.labor.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/A-Shrinking-Toolbox.pdf ↩︎