May 17, 2022
The ordinances will make it much more difficult for employers to resist paying workers what they are owed under California law.
SB 572 now covers the collection of wage and hour awards
The update made to SB 572 makes it easier for employees to collect what they are owed under the wage and hour law. Under this new law, the California Wage Commissioner can intervene on behalf of workers and impose an asset lien when an employer violates employees’ wage and hour rights.
This same law will also make it possible to place a lien on assets to recover an amount equivalent to the fines that the company owes to the Labor Commissioner.
Now wage theft can lead to criminal liability
A recently passed California law, known as AB 1003, has gone into effect as a measure to criminalize employee wage theft. This takes into account that an employer has intentionally underpaid. AB 1003 also covers gratuities or tips that are not fairly distributed among workers who are required to receive them in addition to their base wages.
AB 1003 defines wage theft as the intentional withholding of wages, gratuities, benefits (such as meal and rest breaks or vacations), or other forms of compensation through the use of illicit techniques. If this law is violated by an employer, the penalty may be considered under the category of grand theft if more than $950 is stolen from a single employee or $2,350 in total from two or more employees.
How much time do you have to claim unpaid wages in California?
Are your working conditions so intolerable that you are considering quitting?
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