On Oct 25 Bakersfield College hosted a Workers’ Rights and Protections Workshop allowing students, staff, and BC alumni to attend. A range of informative and valuable topics were discussed such as what is minimum wage, workplace protections, and overtime.

This workshop was hosted by the California Labor Commissioner’s Office and presented by Alana Amezcua. The meeting started with introductions from staff along with a brief explanation of the Youth Advocate Program (YAP) which is designed to empower high school and college students regarding their labor rights.

California Labor Commissioner’s work to ensure that Californians are getting paid and promote economic justice. They actively work to combat economic justice and protect workers from any workplace retaliation.

There are a variety of units that are under the workers’ rights and protections office such as wage claim adjudication which specializes in individual claims for owed wages, bureau of field enforcement which helps in investigating employers, and retaliation complaint unit which specializes in complaints towards employers.

There are around 18 offices that are located all around California, including an office in Bakersfield. The Bakersfield branch is currently looking for an investigator position and students with the skill and interest are highly encouraged to apply.

The workshop discussed wages and the differences in wages, emphasizing the differences between food service wages and statewide minimum wage. The food service minimum wage is $20.00, and the statewide minimum wage is $16.00. It is also said that the minimum wage will increase in January to $16.50 statewide.

The California Labor Commissioner’s Office is open to the public allowing anyone to go in and ask questions and get assistance. It is also noted that they can also be contacted through their website at https://www.dir.ca.gov/ for more information.

Filing a claim is completely free and can go as far back as 1-4 years depending on the issues that may have been raised in the workplace. It is also important to note that immigration status has no bearing when filing a claim.

It is highly recommended that students reach out if they need to make a complaint about their workplace as it is a right to be treated and paid properly for their work, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office would be happy to help.