California Labor Law Violations Found Via Impromptu Inspections

Los Angeles, CA A sophisticated operation presumably designed to catch suspected violators off guard and to prevent word from spreading, has resulted in a series of citations worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in collective fines for violations under California labor law.

Labor Commissioner for the state of California, Julie A. Su, headed a joint enforcement action involving the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) and the US Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division. Targeted were a handful of manufacturing facilities in the garment industry of Los Angeles.

A release from the office of the Labor Commissioner released earlier this month (8/8/12) noted that the wave of unannounced inspections occurred 17 years to the day after garment workers were found toiling in deplorable conditions, behind barbed wire and under the supervision of armed guards at a sweat shop in El Monte. "Rooting out continued violations of basic wage protections for garment workers is a top priority for this administration," Su said in a statement concerning the California labor code violations. "The honest employers in the industry depend on this effective enforcement, and garment workers deserve nothing less."

Enforcement officials were organized into separate teams and co-ordinated to visit ten facilities at the same instant, without prior notification. A total of 199 workers were employed at the ten facilities on the day of the impromptu inspections. Investigators found various violations to California labor employment law??"among them, failure to carry workers' compensation for their employees, and failure to obtain a garment license, according to the release.

California and labor law have a symbiotic relationship under the watchful eye of the Office of the Labor Commissioner. In this case, a total of $217,844 in citations were issued.

Over and above that will be various amounts, yet to be determined, owed to workers for alleged or suspected violations to minimum wage and overtime provisions under California prevailing wage law.

The garment industry typically attracts low-wage workers. It is also common for the industry to exploit its workers in an affront to California employee labor law. The ten garment facilities were not identified specifically in the release.

Su indicated in this latest effort to enforce California state labor laws, 50 inspectors from the joint effort were divided into teams of ten, with five inspectors each co-ordinated to swoop in on the targeted facilities at the exact same time.

"My office is focused on ensuring that all wages are paid for all hours worked, especially for minimum wage workers," continued Labor Commissioner Su, in speaking to the violations to California employee labor law.

While some workers are too timid to launch a California labor lawsuit on their own, legal advocates will sometimes assist on their behalf. It is not known if any of the 199 workers employed at the ten facilities would be considering legal action beyond the efforts of the enforcement agencies involved.