California Division Of Labor Standards Enforcement

A veteran state labor attorney is accusing the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of firing him because he questioned efforts to rewrite controversial regulations governing employee meal breaks. Miles Locker, a 50-year-old civil servant who worked for state government for more than two decades, was dismissed from his $112,980-a-year job at the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement this month.

A dozen workers on various reality TV and game shows filed claims Tuesday with a state agency alleging that their employers improperly denied them overtime pay and meal breaks. The group included writers, production assistants and craft services workers from "American Idol," "Amazing Race" and "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"

A state labor enforcement lawyer who issued an opinion on white-collar salaries that outraged major employers is losing his post, a state official said Tuesday. Miles Locker, who has served as chief counsel for the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement for three years, has been informed he will lose his career executive assignment on July 15, said the state official who spoke only under the condition of anonymity.

A veteran state labor attorney is accusing the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of firing him because he questioned efforts to rewrite controversial regulations governing employee meal breaks. Miles Locker, a 50-year-old civil servant who worked for state government for more than two decades, was dismissed from his $112,980-a-year job at the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement this month.

Walt Disney Co. paid more than $900,000 in back wages for 800 employees of a Laguna Hills toy company who were paid less than minimum wage working at home to make pink tiaras and magic wands for the Disney Store chain, a state agency said Thursday. The payment came after a five-month investigation by the state Division of Labor Standards Enforcement into the labor practices of longtime Disney contractor KTBA Inc.

California companies planning temporary shutdowns must pay white-collar employees' salaries for up to a month--three weeks longer than current practice, according to a controversial new legal opinion by the state labor enforcement agency's top lawyer. The opinion also forbids companies from forcing exempt employees to take vacation time and bans partial vacation days--all of which could hamper plans by companies to hold down costs by sending workers home.

A former state deputy labor commissioner responsible for regulating working conditions in the garment industry was sentenced Thursday to three years in federal prison for taking kickbacks from clothing manufacturers. Howard Hernandez, 48, of Montebello also was ordered to pay $283,000 in restitution to the state. Hernandez was arrested and fired in September 1997 after investigators saw him take a bribe in a Montebello parking lot.

A dozen workers on various reality TV and game shows filed claims Tuesday with a state agency alleging that their employers improperly denied them overtime pay and meal breaks. The group included writers, production assistants and craft services workers from "American Idol," "Amazing Race" and "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"

Urasawa, the rave-inspiring Beverly Hills sushi restaurant where the average check is $1,111, is being fined many times that amount over labor violations. California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su wrote in a citation that the eatery will face a $65,785 fine. Three workers are owed $38,585 in unpaid wages after being told to work in excess of 10 hours a day without overtime pay, according to the citation. The rest of the fine represents penalties. The state says Urasawa also failed to provide wage statements itemizing employee hours or pay rates as required by law. At a protest outside Urasawa's 2 Rodeo Drive address Thursday, former employee Heriberto Zamora said in Spanish that he was abruptly fired nine hours into a shift after he asked to go home to recover from a high fever and flu. He said he has yet to receive his final paycheck, which he said was withheld.

The minimum hourly wage for hundreds of thousands of California workers rises today by 25 cents to $5. The increase stems from the overwhelming approval of union-backed Proposition 210 by voters in November. It marks the second rise in the minimum wage received by workers in the state in five months. In addition, two more increases--another federal increase and then a second state boost--will occur over the next 12 months, lifting the minimum wage to $5.75 in March 1998.

Walt Disney Co. paid more than $900,000 in back wages for 800 employees of a Laguna Hills toy company who were paid less than minimum wage working at home to make pink tiaras and magic wands for the Disney Store chain, a state agency said Thursday. The payment came after a five-month investigation by the state Division of Labor Standards Enforcement into the labor practices of longtime Disney contractor KTBA Inc.

A state labor enforcement lawyer who issued an opinion on white-collar salaries that outraged major employers is losing his post, a state official said Tuesday. Miles Locker, who has served as chief counsel for the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement for three years, has been informed he will lose his career executive assignment on July 15, said the state official who spoke only under the condition of anonymity.

California companies planning temporary shutdowns must pay white-collar employees' salaries for up to a month--three weeks longer than current practice, according to a controversial new legal opinion by the state labor enforcement agency's top lawyer. The opinion also forbids companies from forcing exempt employees to take vacation time and bans partial vacation days--all of which could hamper plans by companies to hold down costs by sending workers home.

A former state deputy labor commissioner responsible for regulating working conditions in the garment industry was sentenced Thursday to three years in federal prison for taking kickbacks from clothing manufacturers. Howard Hernandez, 48, of Montebello also was ordered to pay $283,000 in restitution to the state. Hernandez was arrested and fired in September 1997 after investigators saw him take a bribe in a Montebello parking lot.

Q At my company, hourly employees have been working 24 to 40 hours of overtime every week. They tell us this is required and if we do not work these hours we will be terminated because the company must meet the production requirements set by the customer. Is there a labor law that says after 40 hours of overtime the employee can decide if he or she wants to continue to work the overtime? --R.B., Upland * A There is no state or federal law giving employees a right to refuse to work overtime.

After weeks of legal maneuvering, state labor officials Wednesday finally obtained a court order forcing the California Market chain to shut down its Garden Grove store, at least temporarily. But stoking the fire in a long-running battle with the state, managers continued to operate the supermarket as usual. Exasperated, state officials late Wednesday vowed to obtain a contempt-of-court order. "The state views it as very serious.