A wage theft enforcement bill that will empower local California authorities to investigate wage theft claims has recently been signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. This bill (SB 1342), authored by Senator Tony Mendoza (Artesia), will allow county and municipal boards to appoint an official to investigate allegations of wage theft.
Taking effect on January 1, 2017, this law will effective strengthen the enforcement arm of the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DSLE), which is currently the agency that handles these claims.
As the text of SB 1342 explains, this expansion of enforcement authority has been spurred, at least in part, by findings that “wage enforcement resources in California have not kept pace with increases in the number of employers and increased complexities of the employer-employee relationship.”
Via this new law, the goal is to promote honest pay for fair work providing local agencies with all of the tools necessary to successfully investigate wage theft claims – and to recover unpaid back wages for hardworking Californians who have been the targets of employers’ wage and hour violations.
Commenting on this bill and new law, Senator Mendoza has noted that:
This bill protects hard-working Californians by clarifying the ability of cities and counties to investigate non-compliance with local wage laws…As cities and counties in California move to raise the minimum wage, we must ensure that our low-wage workers, who already face many challenges, receive the pay that they have earned.
Elucidating the importance of this new law, the following points out some of the latest facts and findings regarding wage theft in California:
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If you have been the target of an employer’s wage and hour violations, contact a Los Angeles employment law attorney at the Azadian Law Group, PC for a free case to review to find out more about your options for recovery and justice.
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