The office of Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez will host a symposium Friday in Santa Rosa on wage theft and other labor issues.
At the event from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., representatives of community organizations and government agencies will speak on topics such as labor trafficking, prosecuting wage theft and wage theft’s detriment to workers and families. Resources for victims of wage theft will also be discussed, prosecutors said.
“The main point of this symposium tomorrow is we need more resources to help victims of wage theft, because it’s so pervasive,” Rodriguez said Thursday.
The forum will include a discussion of the “underground economy,” which Rodriguez said refers to business practices that result in compensating workers under the table or not paying lawful wages or overtime.
Among the speakers and panelists at the event are two former victims of labor trafficking, a CalMatters journalist and representatives from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, labor unions, the California Department of Industrial Relations, the U.S. Department of Labor and various social services organizations.
The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office urged those who believe they are victims of wage theft or are interested in learning more about the offense to call a wage theft hotline at (833) 889-2437.
The event will be held at the Backdrop venue at 1455 Corporate Center Parkway in Santa Rosa, Rodriguez said. The forum is free, but in-person registration is at capacity, she added. Prospective attendees may still register for a virtual version of the event on Microsoft Teams by emailing ecld@sonoma-county.org.
