Wage Law

In October, the DLSE issued 115 citations totaling $477,966 in fines to construction firms across the state for various labor law violations. Thirty-three teams of investigators conducted the inspections of 369 companies at residential and commercial construction sites across the state. Officials subsequently made referrals to the District Attorneys in San Francisco, Yolo and Los Angeles counties. Nearly a quarter of the firms investigated lacked required workers’ compensation insurance. Many incorrectly designated their employees as independent contractors. Other common violations included failure to obtain California contractor’s licenses and failure to provide itemized deductions on payroll statements.

In November, DLSE investigators issued 71 citations totaling $267,600 in fines in a two-day statewide enforcement sweep. The sweep targeted 269 employers in 25 counties, including nurseries, greenhouses, landscapers, farm labor contractors, dairies, growers and other agricultural businesses. Forty eight businesses that were inspected received fines of $198,000 for failure to provide workers’ compensation coverage for their employees and stop work orders were immediately issued. Another $64,000 in fines were levied against 16 businesses for failure to provide employees a wage deduction statement or failure to keep records as required under Labor Code § 226.