Office of the Labor Commissioner

Let me start off by saying that YOU MUST BE PATIENT WITH THESE WORKERS. They are definitely here to help you, and they are not the people who screwed you over. Take a deep breathe, and realize that they help hundreds of angry people on any given day.
I advised my husband to go here regarding his employment situation. I have hired, fired, consulted, and done it all when it comes to the human resources aspect of employee rights. I KNOW THE LABOR LAWS thanks to thorough research and asking the right questions as a national manager.
My husband had worked for a company who mistook his age for weakness, I guess. They told him that he would be getting one wage during the interview, and decided to pay him something different when he received his pay check. He also worked on average of eleven hours a day, and was paid for at most nine of those hours. In the transportation industry this is a clear violation of the LAW. He also was let go because his manager was not willing to admit her own mistake and lied to have an excuse to fire him. He did not receive his final paycheck until a week later.
I strongly advised my husband to let his company know that they were breaking the law, but he did not realize the depth of what I knew.
After receiving his final check we decided to go to the Labor Commissioner (and yes we cashed his final check). We were in line for no longer than ten minutes or so, and In the short time that we were; these people were getting cussed out by random individuals, and being accused of being racist etc. (yet the guy he was accusing of being racist was Asian and a super cool guy). I will admit that the paper work was horrible and very confusing if you do not know the lingo of the labor board terminology, but well worth taking the time to fill out (DO NOT LET THIS DETER YOU). It is very tedious and time consuming to say the least. The best thing to do when you come, is to fill out all your forms there and make sure you ask for help if something is unclear.
We filled out all of the paper work and filed a date to be seen by an «agent». They sent us a hearing date in the mail, which we attended, but did not know what to expect.
At this meeting you basically look over your paper work and clarify what you are fighting for. It is in this meeting where you ask all the questions that you are unclear on. The agent will type everything out and turn all the paper work that you filled out into official court documents. Your former employer should show up to this hearing, but its’ actually good for you if they don’t.
You then schedule an official hearing with an officer of the labor board. The officer of the labor commissioner’s office is kind of like a judge; they hear your case, they ask questions, and determine a final judgement. **BRING ALL YOUR EVIDENCE AND 3 COPIES OF EACH PAPER THAT YOU WILL BE SUBMITTING.
For about 3 hours of filling out paperwork, and showing up two times for a hearing that lasted no more than an hour, we came out WINNING. Not only did we make his former company pay for their wrong doings, but we also got PAID too: OP. I say WE, because I was with him every step of the way.
All I have to say is that we received 4x what we expected to get, and we would of gave a big thank you hug to the people in that office if given the opportunity.
Some of the people there are kind of snappy and grouchy, but I definitely can see why they were.
The Asian guy who works at the front desk is down to earth, very knowledgeable, and very helpful (if it weren’t for him we probably would have took off and never pursued his case).

I am an employer and have to renew my license every year with the DLSE which is under the Office of the labor commissioner. They do not return calls, do not answer their phone, say they will call back and do three days later or never do. I pay my fees and have never gotten my license renewal on time in the last 6 years. I am at my wits end. I have submitted my application over two months in advance and still no response, when i do get a response, I am told something then nothing happens. One year they sent me a temporary license valid for the whole year! Who is managing this place?