New Wage Theft Law is a Huge Victory for San Francisco Workers
Earlier this month, San Francisco enacted stricter penalties for employers who violate minimum wage and overtime laws and illegally deny workers their due wages.
The unanimously approved wage theft law strengthens the city’s ability to investigate violations and increases wage protections. Investigators will be able to access payroll records, interview workers and inspect labor sites at any time during business hours. The ordinance also requires employers to inform workers of pending investigations, and increases penalties against employers who retaliate against workers who complain.
“This ordinance represents a huge victory for San Francisco workers in these hard economic times. Given current political divisions, it is remarkable to see such broad consensus and overwhelming support for low-wage workers . . .” said Shaw San Liu, lead organizer of the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA).
The San Francisco ordinance is one of many anti–wage theft measures recently passed throughout the nation. In the past two years, Texas, Washington, New York, Illinois, and Maryland have all passed legislation to crack down on wage theft. Localities ranging from Seattle, Washington, to Fayetteville, Arkansas, have also recently passed anti–wage theft measures.
The new law goes into effect in a couple of weeks. Read more here.
