On April 1, 2010, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced a new campaign entitled "We Can Help," aimed at assisting low income workers in reporting wage and hour violations to the Department of Labor. The campaign consists of a new website and 1-800 number, combined with bilingual public service announcements by celebrities such as Esai Morales and Jimmy Smits.
The campaign is primarily targeted at employees in the construction, food service, janitorial, hospitality and health care fields. Employers in these targeted industries should be congnizant of these stepped up enforcement efforts and conduct regular audits to ensure compliance.
For more information, please see the Client Alert prepared by Michael Kun, Jay Krupin, Kara Maciel and Allen Roberts.