In California, workers who believe that they are owed wages, overtime, or vacation pay may file their claims in court or with the Labor Commissioner. Claims filed with the Labor Commissioner are adjudicated by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) and is a much more informal process. If you recently received a Notice of Claim and Conference from the DLSE, here is an overview of what the process normally looks like. Worker Filed a Claim. The process began with an employee (plaintiff) filing a DLSE claim form alleging that his/her employer (defendant) failed to pay wages or other compensation owed to the plaintiff. After the claim is assigned to a Deputy Labor Commissioner (deputy), he or she will determine, based on the circumstances of the claim, how to proceed. Within 30 days of the filing of the complaint, the deputy will notify the parties as to which of the following actions the DLSE will take as to the claim: referral to a conference; referral to a hearing; or dismissal of the claim. Not all cases will go to a … Continue reading →