SB 1342 Summary

• Prohibits employers from requiring employees to keep wages confidential, requiring wage secrecy agreements, or retaliating against employees for discussing wages; allows employees to file civil actions for violations with remedies including reinstatement and unpaid wages recovery.

• Expands equal pay protections by requiring employers to pay men and women equally for substantially similar work unless wage differences are based on seniority systems, merit systems, production quality/quantity measures, or bona fide factors unrelated to sex; extends statute of limitations to two years (or three years for willful violations).

• Establishes an equal pay certificate program through the Industrial Commission of Arizona for businesses with 40+ employees, requiring certification of pay equity compliance; certificates valid for four years with audit and recordkeeping requirements.

• Creates flexible scheduling rights allowing employees to request changes to hours, work times, location, and advance notice; employers must engage in good faith interactive process and can only deny requests for "bona fide business reasons" if the request relates to health conditions, caregiving, education, or second jobs.

• Requires retail, food service, and cleaning employers to provide schedule notices 14 days in advance, pay for minimum 4-hour shifts when employees report for work, pay for 1-hour minimum when given less than 24-hour notice, and pay extra hour for split shifts; prohibits retaliation for requesting schedule changes.