On Aug. 14, 19 investigators from California’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement descended upon the approximately 100 contractors in the 830 S. Hill St. building in downtown Los Angeles on the hunt for labor-code violations. In total, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement issued $59,000 in penalties for 25 violations.
The raid—prompted by a rash of business owners in the building who change the signage and suite numbers on their doors to avoid delivery of notifications from the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement—resulted in 18 businesses being cited for a variety of violations. Licensed businesses must notify the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement of any change of address, explained Dean Fryer, deputy director of communications for the Department of Industrial Relations.
“This has been a problem building for us from day one,” said Angela Bradstreet, the state’s labor commissioner, adding that the address-changing ploy that raised a red flag seems to be unique to the building. “We found quite a few violations, ranging from minimum-wage violations to failure to register [for a license]. But there were businesses who were in full compliance, and I congratulated them. Those business owners thanked us for being here. They don’t want to see their competitors get an unfair advantage. Hopefully, we made a difference here today.”
Six businesses and contractors—including Jackie Fashion, Slick Apparel, Swan U.S.A., Bisson Inc., Maya Plus and Alvaro Villanueva—were cited for being unregistered. Two of those businesses had their finished goods confiscated. Gomez Fashion was fined $16,000 for failure to obtain workman’s compensation insurance. Businesses were cited for lack of workman’s compensation insurance, failure to provide wage deductions, failure to pay the minimum wage and failure to keep accurate records. Other contractors and factories the state said it cited were: Three J Fashion, Cutieu Inc., Lemon Mode, Veas Fashion, Elim Apparel, Bniel Inc., Dori Dori Inc., Laura Apparel, 7 Stitch, Ricardo Sandoval and Misses Me Fashion.
As workers spilled down stairwells, wary of investigators, Bradstreet handed out her business card, asking workers to report poor work conditions to her office. “We don’t care about their immigration status. What we care about is ensuring safe and fair conditions in the workplace,” Bradstreet said.
Workers interviewed by Division of Labor Standards Enforcement investigators reported a variety of working conditions. One man working for an unlicensed contractor earns $300 per 40-hour work week. Another worker, a woman whose employer saw goods bound for big-box retailer TJ Maxx confiscated, reported earning a piece rate of 5 cents per garment.
In 2007, the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement and the Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition conducted 570 garment inspections in the state and assessed more than $2.5 million in fines, wages and penalties, Fryer said. —Erin Barajas
FROM APPARELNEWS
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