Industrial Welfare Commission v. Superior Court

Opinion

TOBRINER, Acting C. J.

On September 7, 1979, the California Industrial Welfare Commission (hereafter IWC or commission), acting pursuant to its constitutionally and statutorily based authority (Cal. Const., art. XIV, § 1; Lab. Code, §§ 70-74, 1171-1204), 1 adopted a series of industry-wide “wage orders,” prescribing the minimum wages, maximum hours, and standard conditions of employment for employees in this state. These orders (hereafter 1980 wage orders) were scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 1980. In mid-December 1979, however, shortly before the effective date of the orders,…