California Proposition 11, Private Ambulance Company Fight Over Work Breaks, Passes

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Proposition 11 has passed. The campaign largely funded by private ambulance companies had voters deciding what to do with employee breaks.

Emergency ambulance employees who work for private companies will be allowed to continue their current practice of having emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics stay on-duty during their meal and rest breaks in order to respond to 911 calls. Private ambulance companies would attempt to reschedule meal and rest breaks that are interrupted by a 911 call.

Propositions & Ballot Measures: 2018 California Midterm Election Results

The debate stems from a 2016 California Supreme Court ruling in Augustus v. ABM Security Services. In that case, private security guards were required to keep their radios on during their breaks. The court ruled that requirement breaks state labor law and that employers must provide off-duty and uninterruptible breaks.

Ambulance companies saw the decision as possibly impacting them and are attempting to head-off any issues and uncertainty with this ballot measure.

Lawmakers tried to fix the issue with Assembly Bill 263 (2017), but the bill died in the state senate over debates whether it would cover lower priority calls and how it might impact pending lawsuits.

The biggest and only backer of the bill financially was American Medical Response, one of the largest private ambulance companies.