Overtime Pay

In view of the recent legislation upgrading the minimum wage in California, employers should keep in mind that failure to pay overtime wages, in the proportion required by the labor laws, is a serious offense.

One of these days, the IRS, the California Tax Division, and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement will get their heads together via a central computer, and figure out how much employers are really stealing from employees and the various government agencies by under-reporting wages and taxes that should rightfully be paid.

This practice, in reality, is a tax fraud of the highest order, as these employers are cheating everyone.

I would like to suggest to all employees to keep a daily record (at home) of the days and hours you work, and attach your check stubs to this record at the end of each pay period. This will help make it easier for Labor Standards Enforcement Department to help you collect wages owed to you for overtime worked on a daily basis if you file charges against an employer.

No one denies the fact that all businesses need to make a profit to develop and grow, but stealing from employees and the government is not the way to make a profit.

WALTER C. DODDER JR.

Los Angeles