Dozens of advocates testified about wage theft during public comments before the city council vote on August 12. Our wage theft story quoted several of them. Here we present them more fully, along with remarks from one advocate that were not included in the final story.
Kathy Amiliategui, employment rights attorney, Bet Tzedek Legal Services
I’m Kathy Amiliategui. I’m an attorney with Bet Tzedek Legal Services. So, Los Angeles is the wage theft capital of this country. As of 2024, the California Labor Commissioner’s office takes an average of 1123 days to process claims. That’s over three years. Workers cannot wait that long; they need OWS to have more tools and become a better venue for them.
Missing wages means missed rent, skipped meals, and unbearable stress for low-wage workers and their families. They deserve action now.
This motion does not create a new law; it does not impose new obligations on employers; it simply clarifies the authority the state already granted to OWS, and it eliminates the requirement that workers file wage claims with OWS and then turn to the labor commissioner separately to recover overtime, rest break, and meal violations. That redundancy is inefficient.
This motion gives OWS the tools to do its job, nothing more. Right now, when OWS investigates an employer who simply ignores the agency’s request, OWS has two options: drop the investigation, or navigate a cumbersome process, satisfying every Brown Act notification requirement, drafting a board report, briefing commissioners, notifying parties, and scheduling a hearing. This process forces OWS to publicly air confidential investigative facts. It is so burdensome it has only been used two or three times.
The subpoena process already has built-in mechanics to prevent abuse. Any employer who receives one can challenge it in court. The elaborate public hearing process is unnecessary when those safeguards already exist. We urge the council to approve the proposal today; the low-wage immigrant workers of Los Angeles cannot afford to wait any longer for the protections they are owed.
Andrea Gonzalez, CLEAN Carwash Worker Center
Good morning, I’m Andrea. I’m with the Clean Carwash Worker Center, a member of the Los Angeles Worker Network. I’m here to urge you to support the recommendations to strengthen the Office of Wage Standards.
Workers deserve to know that if their wages are stolen, there is a functioning process for addressing it.
Responsible employers deserve to know that they will not be put at a competitive disadvantage by businesses that ignore the law.
These recommendations strengthen enforcement of protections the city has already adopted. Los Angeles created the Office of Wage Standards more than a decade ago, and we have had time to learn from that experience. Good government means looking at what we’ve built, identifying what isn’t working as well as it should, and improving it.
That’s the opportunity before the council now. Please support the recommendations before you.
Vanessa Melendrez, Filipino Worker Center:
Good morning…
Los Angeles workers lose an estimated 28 million every week to wage theft. That includes unpaid hours, overtime violations, stolen tips, illegal deductions, and outright nonpayment.
LA is still the wage theft capital of California, and the United States, so it is the duty of the city council in general to protect its residents.
I represent thousands of home care and domestic workers at the Filipino Worker Center. They’ve been waiting for years at the state level to get wages that they’re owed; that’s how much of a backlog they have. The city needs to step up and pass Item 6 and take on meal cases, which the city doesn’t do right now.
We have workers that literally pass away before getting the hundreds of thousands they’re owed.
So please help the state’s backlog by passing Item 6.
Alejandra Roma, L.A. Workers Center Network
Good morning. My name is Alejandra. I’m here today with the LA Workers Center Network in support of the OWS reforms.
I started my first job as a cashier when I was 17, about five years ago. There I experienced being paid less than minimum wage, having my tips kept by the employer, working without breaks, and not receiving overtime pay.
At first I thought I was just unlucky, but after moving to other jobs, I saw that this was a recurring issue, and I saw it again and again. My experience showed me that wage theft is very common, and it showed me the harm that it can bring.
When someone is denied wages they’ve earned, that means less money for rent, groceries, transportation, childcare—all-in-all attacking the basic stability and quality of life for the workers and those that depend on them.
In Los Angeles, workers lose millions every week to wage theft. That’s why strengthening the Office of Wage Standards is so important. Workers have to know that when their rights are violated, there is a system capable of holding employers accountable.
Thank you.