Section 1182.6.

(a) No employer who continuously operates a manufacturing facility 24 hours a day for seven days a week, and who has had in operation an established preexisting workweek arrangement, as defined in subdivision (b), shall be in violation of this code or any applicable wage order of the commission by instituting, pursuant to an agreement voluntarily executed by the employer and at least two-thirds of the affected employees before the performance of the work, a regularly scheduled workweek that includes three working days of not more than 12 hours a day, or regularly scheduled workweeks that include three working days of not more than 12 hours a day one week and four working days of not more than 12 hours a day in the following week for an average workweek of 42 hours over a two-week period.

(b) For purposes of this section only, a "preexisting workweek arrangement" is defined as, and limited to, a workweek arrangement that existed before November 1980, and had to be modified or abandoned by an employer because the workweek arrangement did not qualify for any exemption provided by the Industrial Welfare Commission from its daily overtime requirements for collectively bargained arrangements, and did not otherwise comply with the daily overtime requirements of an applicable commission order.

(c) The agreement described in subdivision (a) shall be confirmed by an affirmative vote by secret ballot by at least two-thirds of the affected employees, and may be rescinded at any time by a two-thirds vote of the affected employees. A new vote on whether the agreement described in subdivision (a) shall be continued shall be held every three years, and an affirmative vote by at least two-thirds of the affected employees shall be necessary to continue the agreement.

(d) The employer shall not be required to pay premium wage rates to employees working a schedule described in subdivision (a) unless the employee is required or permitted to work more than 12 hours in any workday, more than the scheduled three or four days in any workweek, or more than 40 hours in any workweek.

(e) This section shall not apply to any employer who is now, or in the future becomes, a party to a collective-bargaining agreement covering employees who would otherwise be covered by this section.

(f) No employee working a schedule described in subdivision (a) shall be required to work more than four consecutive days within seven consecutive days.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 538, Sec. 482. Effective January 1, 2007.)