Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez met with Los Angeles workers on Tuesday to discuss widespread wage violations.
The Cesar Chavez Day "A Fair Day's Pay" forum gave workers the opportunity to share stories of how wage violations impact their families and drive poverty in the community, according to a statement. Angelenos shared firsthand accounts with Garcetti and Perez.
A 2010 study from UCLA estimates that low-wage workers in Los Angeles lose $26.2 million per week as a result of employment and labor law violations. Some examples of wage violations include paying workers less than the minimum wage, forcing workers to work extra hours without extra compensation and failing to pay workers for overtime.
Perez said that local, state and federal agencies need to step in and fix the problem.
"We're working together on a very aggressive enforcement strategy," Perez said. "We have both state local and federal officials working together to make sure that if you're cheating people … there are a lot of cops on the street and we're going to make you pay."
But, enforcing wage laws can be very tough.
One man at the forum said he sued and won a $20,000 settlement against his former employer in 2013, but has yet to receive a penny of that settlement.
