Proposition 11 is proposed by the corporations that own private ambulance services as a way of thwarting a lawsuit on ambulance employee meal and break time. Public sector ambulance employees are now entitled by law to meal and other breaks without having to be on call. They are not paid for that time unless emergencies pull them into service at which point they are paid overtime.
The ambulance companies do not wish to pay overtime or hire enough supplementary staff to be on call while others are eating or resting. They want straight time without penalties for intruding on relief time. This is a safety issue since the high stress of emergency responder work requires breaks and meal times in peace. Obviously circumstances can intrude, but this rationalizes unsafe work practices without penalty for the employer. While the bill offers training and mental and emotional health supports, it is not enough to offset the real harm that unrelieved daily stress would impose by making every emergency ambulance driver on call for the entirety of every shift.
The ambulance companies do not wish to pay overtime or hire enough supplementary staff to be on call while others are eating or resting. They want straight time without penalties for intruding on relief time. This is a safety issue since the high stress of emergency responder work requires breaks and meal times in peace. Obviously circumstances can intrude, but this rationalizes unsafe work practices without penalty for the employer. While the bill offers training and mental and emotional health supports, it is not enough to offset the real harm that unrelieved daily stress would impose by making every emergency ambulance driver on call for the entirety of every shift.
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