The Fresno City Council is considering a new policy aimed at combating wage theft throughout the city.
Fresno Councilmember Tyler Maxwell says it’s time to combat wage theft at the local level. It’s a problem Maxwell says plagues California, including here in the Valley.
“Working-class families are the backbone of this community,” said Maxwell.
Wage theft could happen in several different ways, like earning less than minimum wage or not being allowed to take a meal or rest break.
Or being misclassified as an employee so the business can save on taxes or other costs.
Combatting wage theft typically happens at the state level.
In 2022, the state received more than 38,000 wage claims.
“The current system is broken. The California Labor Commissioner’s Office remains underfunded and receives tens of thousands of cases each and every single year,” Maxwell explained.
Maxwell says all those cases create a backlog, meaning it takes even longer for employees to earn repayment of stolen wages.