California Ends ‘Piece Rate’ Work For Garment Workers, Guaranteeing Minimum Hourly Wage

The new law also makes fashion brands more accountable for wage theft committed by subcontractors in L.A. garment factories.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Monday that will require the state’s garment factories to pay workers a minimum hourly wage.

The law, known as Senate Bill 62, bans the industry’s long-standing practice of “piece rate” payment, in which workers are paid according to how many units of work they complete in a certain amount of time.

Critics say the piece rate system forces workers to toil at unsafe speeds, and that it results in many workers getting paid less than the minimum wage. Under the new law, employers can only use a piece rate system when determining bonuses.