LABOR/EMPLOYMENT: Oakland's Department of Workplace Standards Enforcement Mandated to Be Established by July 1, 2020
The City of Oakland has the opportunity to do right by Oakland workers, residents and voters by ensuring the creation of a strong, effective Department of Workplace and Employment Standards that fulfills the voter mandates of Measure FF and Measure Z and must be established by July 1, 2020. Many workers who are experiencing violations of their rights are either too afraid to speak up, or do not have faith that the current enforcement system will bring them justice. Those who do file claims, do so with the State Department of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). But state enforcement offices have serious backlogs that compromise effectiveness. According to DLSE officials and legal services providers, the Oakland division of the DLSE has a 2 to 2.5 year backlog in cases. This delay impacts the ability to move a claim successfully; and in some cases, workers relocate orget deported and the DLSE ends up losing contact with them. This is a problem morelikely to happen ami...