SAN FRANCISCO—The California Senate passed a controversial bill on May 31 that would prohibit employers from requiring staff to intervene in active shoplifting. The bill is pending further review by state Assembly committees.
SB 553, authored by state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), requires employers, who could potentially be victims of shoplifting and robberies, to Prohibitdo more to “keep employees safe at work.” Employers are asked to maintain a violent incident log, provide active shooter training and shoplifter training, and stop maintaining policies that require workers to confront suspected active shoplifters. The bill allows companies to apply for workplace violence restraining orders.
Cortese said in an announcement SB 553 is intended to “help employers keep employees safe at work.” The bill passed the Senate floor with 29 ayes and 8 noes.
The California Retailers Association (CRA) says this bill, if it becomes law, will apply to all industries, not just retail.
CRA president and CEO Rachel Michelin said in an interview with Fox 2/KTVU that this bill “goes way too far.”
“I think it will open the doors even wider for people to come in and steal from our stores.”
According to the CRA, most retailers already prohibit regular employees from approaching someone who is shoplifting. These situations are handled by employees specially trained in theft prevention instead.
If employees trained in theft deterrence are not allowed to do their job per the bill, “What does that mean? We are opening up the door to allow people to walk into stores, steal, and walk out,” Michelin added.
The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) refers to the bill as one that “takes a regulation written for hospitals related to workplace violence and applies it to all workplaces, regardless of size of resources.”
In a position letter addressed to senators before the floor vote on the bill, CalChamber said, “Substantively, SB 533 does not change the realities around workplace violence—namely, that it is a criminal matter that employers are not well-equipped to prevent.”
By Lear Zhou
