In 2003, just five days after California voters recalled then-Gov. Gray Davis, he signed landmark legislation making it easier for workers to sue their employers for violations of state labor law.
The Private Attorneys General Act, or PAGA, allowing employees to file suits not only for themselves but on behalf of other workers, is unique to California.
Davis’ action, an obvious payback to unions that had supported him in the recall election, ignited a political and legal struggle that will reach a climactic point in November when voters decide the fate of a business-backed ballot measure that would, in essence, repeal PAGA…