In plain words
The Labor Commissioner is the state official who heads the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in California. The office is often called the Labor Commissioner's Office. It enforces many state labor laws, including pay, meal and rest breaks, and . A worker can file a claim with the office if an employer does not follow these rules. The office can investigate and can hold hearings on wage claims. Complaints about other issues, such as discrimination, can go to other agencies. The office is part of the state Department of Industrial Relations. Its work is separate from the , which handles benefit programs. Filing does not require a lawyer, though the process can be complex.
The deeper version
The Labor Commissioner, appointed by the governor, heads the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement within the Department of Industrial Relations. The office enforces the Labor Code, including wage claims under Labor Code section 98 and the lactation provisions of sections 1030 through 1034. Wage claims can be heard through an administrative hearing process with appeal to the superior court. Civil penalties and wage restitution are available. The office's enforcement capacity and backlog, and whether administrative remedies should supplement private litigation, are recurring policy debates.
Where it comes up
- Lactation accommodation at work: your rights in CaliforniaCalifornia: Leave, Money, and Paperwork
- Working while pregnantPregnancy: Mind and Life
- Going back to work: the feelings partPostpartum: Mind
- Pregnancy and parental leave in California: the mapCalifornia: Leave, Money, and Paperwork
What mothers here say about Labor Commissioner
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- California Department of Industrial Relations — Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, Labor Commissioner's Office information
- State of California — California Labor Code, sections 98 and 1030 through 1034