San Francisco Enacts New Law to Stop Wage Theft

On September 16, 2011, San Francisco became the latest U.S. city to enact stricter penalties for employers who violate minimum wage and overtime laws and who illegally deny workers their due wages.

The wage theft law, approved unanimously by San Francisco's Board of Supervisors and signed by Mayor Ed Lee, strengthens the city's ability to investigate violations.  It increases wage protections that, studies have show, commonly elude workers in several leading low-wage industries.

"San Francisco has set national prrecedent in passing one of the strongest labor laws in the country, during a time when wage theft is on the rise," said Tiffany Crain, co-director of Young Workers United, a member of the broad-based Progressive Workers Alliance of low-wage workers organizations in San Francisco that advocated for the new ordinance over the course of many months.

In the past two years, Texas, Washington, New York, Illiinois, and Maryland have all passed legislation to crack down on wage theft.  Here in California,  a similar bill awaits signature by Governor Jerry Brown.  It is AB 469, the Wage Theft Prevention Act.  According to Cathy Deppe of 9to5 Los Angeles, this bill will increase penalties against employers who retaliate against workers who make wage and hour complaints.  "Everyone who works deserves to be paid, and paid fairly, without fearing retaliation" said Deppe.  She urges Californians to call Governor Brown at 916-445-2841,  to urge him to sign this important worker protection legislation.

For more information on the San Francisco law,  see "National Employment Law Project" at www.nelp.org.

For more information on "wage theft" and your employment rights, see www.canmybossdothat.org, a project of the Interfaith Workers Center of Chicago, Il.