Re piece rate pay, why are there different rules for employers who pay on a semi-monthly basis?

Actually, the compensation requirements for rest and recovery periods are the same for all employers, including those that pay on a semi-monthly basis. For employers who pay on a semi-monthly basis, however, there is a provision that allows the employer to pay for rest and recovery periods at a rate of at least the minimum wage for the pay period in which the rest and recovery periods occurred, and then to “true up” the compensation owed (to pay “the additional compensation required”) applying the average hourly rate formula that is required and explained above, in the following pay period. This is because when a semi-monthly pay period ends in the middle of a workweek, it may not be possible to determine the “average hourly rate” for that workweek at the time the paycheck is issued for that payroll period.

This is consistent with existing rules in Labor Code section 204 that apply to employers who pay wages on a semi-monthly basis. That section provides, for example, that “all wages earned for labor in excess of the normal work period [e.g., overtime] shall be paid no later than the payday for the next regular payroll period.” (Labor Code §204(b)(1) (language in italics added).)

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