County of Santa Clara Expands Program to Fight Against Wage Theft
County leaders discuss expansion of wage theft enforcement program designed to protect the rights of retail food workers
WHAT:
The County of Santa Clara is expanding the Food Permit Wage Theft Enforcement Program aimed at collecting owed wages for food workers. In the coming months, the County will start reaching out to business owners who have not paid their wage theft judgments to encourage compliance before their food permits become suspended, specifically in the newly expanded areas of Milpitas and San José. At the news conference, County leaders will discuss the importance of the fight against wage theft, its impact on vulnerable workers, and the program’s expansion into additional cities in Santa Clara County. A business owner from a local restaurant and a retail food worker will share best practices for supporting a healthy workplace and how County services have supported them through their workplace labor concerns.
WHO:
Supervisor Cindy Chavez, County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors
Supervisor Otto Lee, County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors
Rochelle Gaddi, Interim Director, County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
Jessie Yu, Manager, Office of Labor Standards Enforcement
Neil Meharu, Owner, Parktown Pizza Company
Jeffrey Rightnar, Retail Food Worker
WHEN AND WHERE:
Tuesday, August. 23, 2022, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Parktown Pizza Company
1350 South Park Victoria Drive, Suite 46, Milpitas, CA 95035
WHY:
The County’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) and Department of Environmental Health (DEH) established the Food Permit Wage Theft Enforcement Program to address pervasive wage theft in Santa Clara County. OLSE and DEH leverage County authority to suspend food permits from permit holders with unpaid wage theft judgments. The latest expansion means the County can increase enforcement among more permit holders, with hopes that an education-first model, paired with real consequences, will nudge businesses into compliance to ensure that food workers are paid in full for their work.
ABOUT THE OFFICE OF LABOR STANDARDS ENFORCEMENT
The Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) works to create safe and respectful workplaces for all in Santa Clara County. OLSE’s mission is to advance labor standards through thoughtful community and business engagement, strategic enforcement, innovation and study, and policy development with a commitment to social justice. The office does this by partnering with community organizations to provide information and resources to local workers and business owners about their rights and responsibilities, encourage compliance and, together, decrease retail food workplace violations on employee wages. For more information on OLSE, visit www.sccfairworkplace.org.
ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, California, making it more populous than 14 states in the U.S. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.
Visit the County of Santa Clara at: https://www.sccgov.org
Like us on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/County.of.Santa.Clara/
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sccgov
Media Contact: Jessie Yu, County of Santa Clara Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, 408-678-3210, [email protected]
Quan Vu / Benjamin Rada, County of Santa Clara Office of Public Affairs, 408-299-5119, [email protected]
###