Chamber Reveals Legislative Agenda

California’s business lobby unveiled its annual wish list Wednesday, asking for the easing of some labor rules and a solution to the problem of the growing number of workers without adequate health insurance.

The California Chamber of Commerce’s legislative program also proposes repairing the state’s aging network of highways and relieving the housing crunch by reforming environmental review laws.

Chamber President Allan Zaremberg acknowledged the challenges of encouraging economic growth in the face of a projected $8.1-billion state budget shortfall.

“We need to get our budget under control,” he said.

The chamber’s practice of publishing its legislative priorities is garnering more attention in Sacramento these days, in part because of the group’s clout with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The business-friendly Republican governor’s agenda has meshed with the chamber’s on a variety of issues, including minimum wage and the outsourcing of jobs.

But in the Democratic-controlled Legislature and with some interest groups, the business lobby faces obstacles.

For example, labor groups oppose a proposal backed by the chamber that would allow companies to offer employees the option of working four 10-hour days in a week, without being paid overtime.

Currently, employers are required to pay overtime after an eight-hour day, barring an agreement with labor unions or employees.

Zaremberg portrayed the four-day-week idea as a perk for workers. “It would give them an extra day off,” he said.

But Art Pulaski, executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, called it a way for employers “to cheat their workers out of their wages.”

And the California Teachers Assn. took issue with the chamber’s position on education. Zaremberg said that maintaining accountability and standards in schools would produce an educated workforce, which is a key factor for improving the state’s economy.

Becky Zoglman, a teachers association spokeswoman, suggested that students would benefit more from increased funding.

“The chamber continues to worry about businesses moving out of state,” she said. “We may see kids wanting to move to places like New Jersey, which spends almost double the amount per student” compared with California.

The chamber’s healthcare agenda received mixed reviews. The group is calling for state involvement in controlling rising healthcare costs.

“Employers can’t afford to absorb all those premium increases,” Zaremberg said.

Jack Lewin, chief executive of the California Medical Assn., applauded the chamber for recognizing the importance of preventing trial lawyers from weakening malpractice laws but suggested that the group could do more to improve access to health insurance. He said failure there would cause California to “change in draconian ways that will effect everybody, rich or poor.”