(a) This chapter applies to public employers subject to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 3500), Chapter 10.3 (commencing with Section 3512), Chapter 10.4 (commencing with Section 3524.50), Chapter 10.7 (commencing with Section 3540), or Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 3560) of, or Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 71600) or Chapter 7.5 (commencing with Section 71800) of Title 8 of, this code, or Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 99560) of Part 11 of Division 10 of the Public Utilities Code. This chapter, except for subdivision (c), also applies to public transit districts with respect to their public employees who are in bargaining units not subject to the provisions listed in this subdivision.

(b) For purposes of this chapter:

Terms Used In California Government Code 3555.5

  • City: includes "city and county" and "incorporated town" but does not include "unincorporated town" or "village. See California Government Code 20
  • County: includes city and county. See California Government Code 19
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Government Code 17
  • Process: includes a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings of either a civil or criminal nature. See California Government Code 22
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10

(1) “Exclusive representative” means the exclusive representative or recognized employee organization for the bargaining unit.

(2) “Interest arbitration” means a process whereby an employer and an exclusive representative submit a dispute concerning the terms of access to new employee orientations for resolution to a third-party arbitrator who is then authorized to approve either party’s proposal in its entirety, to approve a proposal using both the employer’s and exclusive representative’s final proposals, or to modify the proposals by the parties.

(3) “New employee orientation” means the onboarding process of a newly hired public employee, whether in person, online, or through other means or mediums, in which employees are advised of their employment status, rights, benefits, duties and responsibilities, or any other employment-related matters.

(4) “Newly hired public employee” means any employee, whether permanent, temporary, full time, part time, or seasonal, hired by a public employer, to which this chapter applies and who is still employed as of the date of the new employee orientation.

(c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Public Employment Relations Board shall have jurisdiction over violations of this chapter. The powers and duties of the board described in Section 3541.3 shall apply, as appropriate, to this chapter.

(2) The employee relations commissions established by the County of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles shall have jurisdiction over violations of this chapter in the County of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles, respectively.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 53, Sec. 15. (SB 866) Effective June 27, 2018.)