California Labor Commissioner Fines Garment Contractor for Wage Theft

LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su has issued citations against O & K Apparel Inc. to pay $113,785 in overtime wages for 110 employees, plus penalties of $61,450 for failing to pay proper overtime and $307,250 for issuing improper itemized/deduction statements.

"Employers must pay workers the wages they've earned," said Christine Baker, director of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). The Labor Commissioner's office is a division within DIR. "And the Labor Commissioner's office will protect their rights, as well as the rights of honest businesses and taxpayers." 

O & K Apparel Inc. makes women's garments in Los Angeles and pays its employees by the piece. Under the law, garment contractors are required to provide accurate itemized statements to employees showing total hours worked by the employees and if paid by the piece, they must show the number of pieces produced for specific manufacturers and the rate of pay for each piece in addition to the total hours worked. 

Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su stated, "There is no place for sweatshop conditions in our 21st century economy. Piece rate payment cannot be used as an end-run around the basic requirement that all workers in California receive a just day's pay for a hard day's work, including overtime pay for overtime hours worked. In addition, California law requires itemized wage statements so employees know how much they worked and what they earned. In this case, the pay stubs did not include any of that information, which makes it hard for workers to know when their wages are being stolen right out from under them."  

The Labor Commissioner's office, also known as the California Department of Industrial Relations' Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, adjudicates wage claims, investigates discrimination and public works complaints and enforces state labor law. Additional information on labor laws and work-related topics are available on our Web site, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
       
Employees with work-related questions or complaints may call the California Workers' Information Hotline at (866) 924-9757 for recorded information on a variety of work related topics.

For media inquiries contact Erika Monterroza at (510) 286-1164 or Peter Melton at (510) 286-7046.

SOURCE California Department of Industrial Relations, California Labor Commissioner