Los Angeles, California – The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has filed a lawsuit against two cleaning service contractors and two supermarket chains, accusing them of systematically stealing wages from vulnerable workers.
City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced on Thursday that the lawsuit, filed on Monday, aims to put an end to these illegal practices and secure justice for the affected workers.
The complaint, filed in the California Superior Court, highlights the issue of wage theft in the cleaning services industry. Contractors, employ cleaning workers and enter into agreements with property owners or tenants to provide their services.
The defendants include Janitorial Modern Floor Specialists and Clean Solution Experts, as well as supermarkets owned by Chedraui USA, which operates El Super, and Super Center Concepts, which operates Superior Grocers.
According to the City Attorney’s Office, the defendants provided cleaning services to approximately 75 El Super and Superior supermarkets in Los Angeles County. Chedraui USA and Super Center Concepts have not responded to inquiries about the lawsuit.
Under the state labor code, the supermarkets share civil responsibility for unpaid wages to the cleaning company employees and must assume damages and penalties resulting from wage theft.
The lawsuit claims that the contracts were insufficient to cover minimum wage, overtime, paid sick leave, payroll taxes, and workers’ compensation insurance.
Feldstein Soto alleges that the defendants took advantage of the vulnerability of these workers, many of whom are immigrants, are in difficult economic situations, and do not speak English. This , decreased the likelihood of them complaining about their treatment in the workplace.
The Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund, a state organization dedicated to eradicating illegal and unfair business practices in California’s cleaning industry, collaborated with Feldstein Soto’s team on this case.
Wage theft has a devastating impact on workers’ lives, depriving them of the necessary income to support their families and maintain their well-being.
The fight for labor rights and wage justice continues, and this lawsuit is an important step in protecting vulnerable workers and ensuring they receive the pay and benefits they deserve.
