Labor Commissioner: employee claims.

Existing law provides for the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to oversee and assist the divisions under its jurisdiction with the enforcement of provisions of law related to private employment, including claims for wage and hour violations and occupational safety violations. Under existing law, the Labor Commissioner or his or her representatives are authorized to take assignments of certain claims for enforcement, including claims for an employee's loss of wages due to demotion, suspension, or discharge by the employer for lawful conduct occurring during nonworking hours away from the employer's premises. This bill would authorize both the director and the commissioner, or their deputies, to waive any penalties against an employer if the employer resolves the claim within 30 days of receiving a notice, as specified, from the commissioner. The bill would not apply to violations of minimum wage requirements.