In a case that could prove to be a model for holding businesses responsible for abuses by their contractors, the Cheesecake Factory Restaurants Inc. chain has been found jointly liable with a janitorial services firm for wage theft violations totaling $4.2 million, the California Department of Industrial Relations said Monday. California Labor Commissioner Julie Su …
Every night, after the last show ended at the AMC theater in Santa Monica, Maria Alvarez arrived at work. She and her husband had a key to let themselves in. It was after midnight, and the building was empty. Together, they cleaned all seven auditoriums. They vacuumed the carpets and mopped the floors. They cleaned …
How America’s Biggest Theater Chains Are Exploiting Their Janitors Read More »
The state of California has cited and fined Superior Grocers and its janitorial subcontractor for violating a workers’ compensation law and a second investigation into wage theft is ongoing. Investigators for the Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund, a janitorial industry watchdog that has found $70 million in unpaid wages in the past 20 years, first uncovered rampant and systemic wage theft at the Southern California grocery chain that has 45 stores.
Lilia Garcia-Brower, 45, is executive director of the Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund. The Los Angeles- based organization investigates wage theft and other abuses in the janitorial industry, which is notorious for paying workers below minimum wage. The organization, funded by unionized janitorial companies, partners with government enforcement agencies or organizes private lawsuits to bring cases. …
The California Labor Commission announced that it has filed suit against Corporate Building Services and its subcontractors, for roughly $7.4 million in damages to janitors. This janitorial company is amongst thousands across the State that is alleged to routinely skirt payroll taxes and minimum wage laws. This not only keeps janitors’ families in poverty, but it robs CA taxpayers of millions in taxes and pushes responsible employers out of business which all contribute to one of the largest budget crisis in history.
