San Luis Obispo – State Labor Commissioner Angela Bradstreet today filed a civil lawsuit against Carlton Hotel Investments, LLC that seeks to recover more than $100,000 in lost wages and penalties. The hotel is accused of six labor code violations including failure to pay wages when due, failure to pay minimum wage, and failure to pay overtime. As of January, employees filed at least 18 wage claims against the hotel and asked the court to enjoin the hotel from continuing to operate without paying wages on designated paydays.
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) launched an initial investigation into The Carlton Hotel in October of 2009 after receiving an anonymous complaint. The investigation found that the workers’ paychecks were being delayed. The state issued a Notice to Discontinue that stated all wages are due and payable on the employer-designated regular pay days. Additional violations were uncovered during a re-investigation in February. The Carlton Hotel was not meeting its payroll obligation each pay period and some paychecks were nearly two months overdue.