Bill > S2207

This bill aims to prevent wage theft and hold employers accountable by introducing new definitions and responsibilities within existing labor laws. It defines "lead company" as a business that receives workers from labor contractors or subcontractors for tasks related to its operations, and "labor contractor" and "labor subcontractor" as entities that supply these workers. The bill establishes that a "lead company" can be held jointly and severally liable for any "wage theft," which is defined as violations of various labor laws related to wages and working conditions, for all workers provided by its contractors or subcontractors. Furthermore, it grants the director of the department of unemployment assistance and the attorney general the authority to issue "stop work orders" against businesses violating labor laws or engaging in wage theft, requiring them to cease all operations at the specific location of the violation until corrected. These stop work orders can also be enforced against successor businesses with similar ownership. The bill also ensures that employees affected by a stop work order are paid for up to ten days of lost work, which will be considered time worked. Finally, it allows the attorney general to pursue civil actions for wage theft, potentially resulting in treble damages for employees and recovery of litigation costs.