SACRAMENTO – California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) members working as investigators, agents and enforcement representatives from numerous departments make up California’s Labor Enforcement Task Force (LETF) which is cracking down on businesses that violate laws that protect workers and California’s economy.
On May 11, 2018, the Department of Industrial Relations released LETF’s first quarter enforcement highlights which include:
- Nine out of 10 businesses inspected were out of compliance with labor laws.
- LETF assessed more than $2 million in initial penalties for a variety of labor law violations, such as failure to maintain a valid workers’ compensation insurance policy, wage theft, exposing employees to unsafe working conditions, and failure to carry required licensing.
- Cal/OSHA issued 14 Orders Prohibiting Use, an enforcement tool used to shut down a machine or operation that exposes employees to an immediate danger of serious injury or fatality, until the hazard is corrected.
- The Labor Commissioner’s office issued 64 stop orders to employers with no workers’ compensation insurance coverage.
LETF focuses on high-risk industries known for frequently abusing the rights of low-wage workers. Those industries include agriculture, construction, garment, restaurant, and manufacturing.
LETF, under the direction of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), is a coalition of California State and local enforcement agencies formed in 2012 to combat the underground economy.
LETF member partners include:
- DIR divisions
- Cal/OSHA (also known as the Division of Occupational Safety and Health)
- Labor Commissioner’s Office (also known as the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement)
- Contractors State License Board
- Employment Development Department
- California Department of Insurance
- Bureau of Automotive Repair
- Alcoholic Beverage Control
- California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
“The work done by these investigators, agents, and enforcement representatives is imperative to worker safety and a healthy economy,” said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona. “Pooling investigative resources to investigate rogue business owners is smart for California and smart for workers.”
Leads on underground employers and reports of labor law violations can be submitted on LETF’s Online Referral Form, by emailing the information to LETF@dir.ca.gov or by calling LETF toll-free at 1-855-297-5322.
