Seyfarth Synopsis: The Trump Administration’s hard line on immigration has concerned undocumented immigrants who want to raise wage claims. The LWDA recently reaffirmed a commitment to protect workers regardless of their immigration status.
California has noticed the Trump Administration’s immigration initiatives. Here, as elsewhere, California charts its own path. The state’s labor law enforcement officials worry that the immigration crackdown has panicked undocumented workers, causing them to withhold complaints against their employers, for fear of deportation. Indeed, some undocumented workers reportedly have declined to accept unpaid wages owed to them, and have refused to cooperate with government investigations. There have been reports of ICE agents showing up at California Labor Commissioner proceedings to remove undocumented workers who are appearing to prosecute their labor claims against their employers.
On May 1, 2017, the LWDA reaffirmed its commitment to worker protections regardless of their immigration status:
Just because the federal administration has changed, our laws and policies have not. … We will not tolerate the use of immigration status as a tool of retaliation against workers who are pursuing their rights under California law. … The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and its partner departments reiterate that we never ask for – nor do we collect – the immigration status of any worker who files a health and safety or wage theft claim with our offices. It has been longstanding state policy that our labor laws apply to all workers, regardless of immigration status, and that the immigration status of a worker is unnecessary information to enforcing our laws.
The full press release appears here.
Thus, regardless of what the Trump Administration does, the LWDA is making it clear that California’s labor protections apply to all employees – regardless of their immigration status – and that the LWDA will ensure that immigrant workers know that California workplace protections apply to them.
The LWDA’s statement reminds California employers that they can still be subject to liability, fines, and investigations for Labor Code violations no matter what the federal government does. Immigration status remains, in the view of the LWDA, irrelevant to the enforcement of California wage and hour laws. Thus, employers should not treat immigrant workers differently because of their status.
California wage and hour law can be difficult to navigate. If you would like to review your policies for compliance, you may contact one of Seyfarth Shaw’s attorneys for assistance.
Edited by Michael Wahlander.