October 13, 2003
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments last week on the ABC Southern California challenge to Section 208 of the labor code. Drafted by SBCTC President Bob Balgenorth as a member of the California Apprenticeship Council (CAC), this section was issued by the CAC, setting the minimum wage scale for apprentices on private construction projects.
The federal trial court threw out the ABC claim, and the ABC appealed to the Ninth Circuit. The SBCTC intervened in this case to protect the minimum wage for apprentices. Attorney Linda Lye from Alshuler, Berzon, Nussbaum, Rubin & Demain argued the case for the SBCTC. A decision is expected in a few weeks.