(Sacramento, CA) – Assemblymember Sandré R. Swanson (D-Alameda), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, was proud to announce that Governor Brown signed AB 469 this week. The bill establishes new misdemeanor penalties for employers who steal worker wages and requires employers to provide workers with written disclosures of basic terms of employment.
"I am pleased that Governor Brown signed AB 469 to protect California workers from serious labor law violations and level the playing field for responsible employers," said Swanson. "Employers who ignore basic labor laws force other employers to lower job standards in order to complete. This eventually corrodes the entire economy. With the Governor's signature on this bill, workers and enforcement agencies now have the tools to end these unlawful practices."
Swanson explained how a shift in employment relations has exacerbated worker abuse. "Over the past few decades, the nature of work has changed dramatically. Industry by industry, the traditional employer–employee relationship has eroded. The underground economy, in which employers use cash pay to avoid paying taxes, following regulations, and complying with labor law, has thrived due to inadequate enforcement. Since 1980, the state population has grown 62 percent, while the number of wage and hour inspectors rose just 7 percent. Budget cuts and furloughs have made already feeble enforcement efforts even less effective."
Art Pulaski, Secretary Treasurer of the California Labor Federation, congratulated Assemblymember Swanson and the Governor on the bill. "We commend Assemblymember Swanson for his hard work on moving this bill forward and Governor Brown for recognizing the importance of strengthening enforcement of worker protection laws. By signing AB 469, the Governor took an important step to protect workers from unscrupulous employers. By protecting low-wage workers who are cheated out of wages, the Governor sent a message that all workers must have their rights respected. Low-wage workers are already living at or below the poverty line and need every dollar of their wages to survive."
Victor Narro, Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center, discussed the conclusions of a 2010 report, Wage Theft and Workplace Violations in Los Angeles. "Wage theft not only depresses the already meager earnings of low-wage workers, it also adversely impacts their communities and the local economies of which they are part. AB 469 is a major step forward in addressing this significant crisis in our low-wage workforce," said Narro.
Swanson concluded, "The workers most likely to be victims of wage theft are the ones who can least afford it: day laborers and car wash and garment workers. Governor Brown acknowledged the rights of some of our most vulnerable workers by signing AB 469."
CONTACT: Amy Alley, (916) 319-2016
