Do Workers Have the Right to Take a Seat?

California’s top court has agreed to tackle a case that could determine whether employers are required to provide chairs for thousands of workers. Two consolidated cases, brought by a grocery checker and a bank teller, will demand the state Supreme Court define what “nature of work” would reasonably permit the use of seats, and what exactly “suitable seats” means. On top of potentially having to order chairs in bulk, California employees might be on the hook for huge financial penalties. If the court finds in favor of broadening employees’ rights to chairs on the job for certain tasks and workers file lawsuits, companies could face civil penalties of  $100 per employee pay period for the initial violation, and $200 per pay period for each violation thereafter.