San Diego - Investigators with the Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition (EEEC) targeted businesses in the restaurant industry on March 1 and 2 who were operating illegally. A total of 32 restaurants were visited in San Diego and Orange Counties.

EEEC is a multi-agency task force designed to root out California's underground economy. In last week's enforcement sweep of restaurants, the EEEC targeted businesses that avoid labor, tax and licensing laws, safety and health regulations and carry no workers' compensation insurance for their employees in order to gain a competitive economic advantage over legitimate businesses that follow the law.

"Our enforcement efforts provide protections for both employees and employers in the state of California" said EEEC Executive Director David Dorame. "Employees are provided basic protections for proper payment of wages, workplace safety and rest breaks as well as other protections. For employers we provide vigorous enforcement against competitors who do not follow California labor laws and gain an unfair economic advantage."

The results of the sweep are as follows:

Number of inspections	32
Number of citations issued	23
Total citation amount	$422,250
Citations issued for	no workers' compensation, not taking required payroll deductions, not requiring proper work permits for minors and not paying proper minimum wage.

Launched in July'05 with the full support of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the EEEC was formed with a dual mission: To enforce California labor laws, and to educate business owners and workers on those laws and regulations. On the enforcement side, the EEEC aims to root out businesses participating in the underground economy, which cost the state and legitimate businesses millions each year, in many cases passing the costs on to the consumer. In addition, EEEC helps educate business owners on California's employment laws and their responsibilities, and educates employees on their rights as workers.

EEEC is a collaboration of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency's Department of Industrial Relations (Division of Occupational Safety and Health; Division of Labor Standards Enforcement) and the Employment Development Department. The U.S. Department of Labor participates in the EEEC, as well as the Contractors State License Board when targeting the construction industry.

The EEEC conducts enforcement sweeps in various industries, including garment, agriculture, construction, horse race track, car wash, janitorial and restaurant, which have been identified as having a high degree of workplace violations and lack of regulatory compliance. EEEC also holds workshops throughout the state to educate employers and workers on labor and wage issues. For more information on the EEEC, please visit our website at www.dir.ca.gov.

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