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Assembly hearing finds SB 588 gave new collection tools but gaps remain in recovering stolen wages
Summary
At a California Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment hearing, advocates, workers and the Labor Commissioner agreed SB 588 (2015) improved enforcement—adding liens, levies and individual liability—but witnesses urged earlier prejudgment tools, more Judgment Enforcement Unit staff, and statutory fixes to stop owner asset transfers that leave workers unpaid.
The California State Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment on Thursday held an oversight hearing on SB 588 (De León, 2015), assessing whether the law’s creditor‑style tools are delivering money to workers and where enforcement falls short.
The committee heard that SB 588 gave the Labor Commissioner powers to name individuals and joint employers, place liens and use levies and receivership to collect unpaid wages. “SB 588 lets the labor commissioner act like a creditor,” said Tia Koons, policy director at the UCLA Labor Center, who told the panel these tools have increased the chance that workers receive payment after lengthy adjudication.
Why it matters: Wage theft remains widespread, advocates told the committee. Chair opened the hearing by noting a 2024 backlog of roughly 47,000 unprocessed claims and cited state audit findings that…
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