If you want to file a wage claim with the California Labor Commissioner, you have to get in touch with one of their offices. The addresses and phone numbers for the Labor Commissioner’s offices are located at http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DistrictOffices.htm.
Wage Claims May Be Filed To Collect:
- Unpaid Overtime
- Unpaid Minimum Wages
- Unpaid Commissions
- Unpaid Doubletime
- Unreimbursed Tools
- Unreimbursed Mileage
- Unreimbursed Uniforms
- Denied Lunch Breaks
- Denied Rest Breaks
In our experience, getting a hold of the Labor Commissioner’s office by telephone is nearly impossible. The telephone will ring and ring for hours and no one will ever pick up. Sometimes we get lucky and someone will pick up the phone, but it is rare.
You must remember that filing a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner for unpaid overtime, missed meal periods/breaks, unpaid minimum wage, unreimbursed job expenses (i.e., tools, uniforms, mileage), and more may limit how much money you can collect from your employer. An employee who files a wage claim with the California Labor Commissioner can only go back three years to recover wages owed. Furthermore, an employee who files a wage claim with the California Labor Commissioner is not entitled to an award of attorney fees.
Filing a wage claim in civil court will allow an employee to go back FOUR years for unpaid wages. Plus, filing a wage claim in civil court will allow an employee to receive his or her attorney fess. This often can mean that filing a wage claim in civil court puts more pressure on the defendant to pay wages owed.
For a free case evaluation, whether that means filing a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner or in civil court, contact Strauss Law Group immediately. You do not want to risk losing out on wages owed!