Former employees recently accused two high-profile North Bay employers of stealing their wages. In March, three Petaluma high school students complained that a Subway franchise owner failed to pay wages owed, withheld promised bonuses, and refused to give workers tips from electronic transactions. In June, three former valets at the Bohemian Club's summer camp in Monte Rio, whose clientele includes ultra-wealthy and prominent national elected officials, filed a lawsuit alleging that they were not paid the state minimum wage nor overtime and were denied mandatory rest breaks.
In July, one of the county’s largest vineyard management companies, Lodi-based Vino Farms, settled a lawsuit covering 537 employees in San Joaquin and Sonoma counties for $1.4 million. These workers alleged that between 2017-22 Vino Farms did not pay for all hours worked and denied workers mandatory meals and rest breaks.
What is wage theft, and how pervasive is the problem?
Wage theft occurs when an employer does not pay or underpays a worker the wages and benefits they are due. It can take many forms, including paying less than the minimum, contractual or overtime wage; failing to pay for all hours worked; withholding benefits like paid sick leave or health insurance; asking employees to work “off-the-clock” before or after their shift; denying workers required meal and rest breaks; and withholding gratuities.
In 2014 the Economic Policy Institute reported that an “epidemic of wage theft” costs...
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