Santa Ana, CA – A Buena Park restaurant, Food Source LLC, faces more than $1.1 million in penalties after violating wage and sick leave laws, according to the California Labor Commissioner’s Office (LCO). The enforcement action includes citations and a lawsuit for unpaid wages, overtime violations, and failure to provide paid sick leave.
Breakdown of Violations and Penalties
Wage and Sick Leave Penalties: The Labor Commissioner’s Office (LCO) issued $532,561 in citations to compensate 73 affected workers for wage theft violations, including unpaid wages, overtime violations, liquidated damages, and incomplete wage statements.
Additionally, the LCO filed a $575,803 lawsuit seeking compensation for unpaid wages, damages, and penalties related to sick leave violations. The lawsuit claims that the employer denied workers access to paid sick leave, failed to document sick leave availability on pay stubs, kept workers uninformed about their legal rights, and did not provide supplemental paid sick leave during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, these violations impacted at least 90 workers at the restaurant.
California Labor Commissioner’s Statement
Lilia García-Brower, California’s Labor Commissioner, emphasized the importance of workers’ rights, stating:
“Employees should not be forced to choose between their health and earning a livelihood. My office is committed to ensuring workers are properly paid for their labor and receive all the benefits they earn and rightfully deserve.”
Understanding California’s Paid Sick Leave Law
California’s Healthy Workplace, Healthy Families Act of 2014 ensures that employees working at least 30 days per year accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Workers can use their sick leave after 90 days of employment, though employers may limit usage to 40 hours (five days) per year.
Unused sick leave carries over, capped at 80 hours (ten days). However, certain employees under collective bargaining agreements may be exempt.
For further details, check the California Labor Commissioner’s FAQs on sick leave here.
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