Office of Labor Standards Enforcement secures record-breaking restitution for San Francisco workers

SAN FRANCISCO, CA---The Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) announced $21.6 million in collections on behalf of San Francisco workers in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025, the highest amount ever collected. This total includes restitution made to workers by their current or former employer as well as penalties issued to the City.

“The Office of Labor Standards Enforcement work to implement San Francisco’s legislated labor laws has improved the lives of countless workers, ensuring that rights regarding health care, compensation, paid leave, workplace accommodation, and more are known and protected,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. “Each dollar of restitution represents workers receiving the pay and benefits they are owed and employers coming into compliance. I am proud of the OLSE team for their tireless efforts to protect workers’ rights and improve conditions across our city.”

"Thanks to the dedication and resilience of OLSE staff for successfully creating an environment that supports workers and ensures fairness for employers,” said Pat Mulligan, Director of OLSE. “Always striving to provide the highest standard of government efficiency, OLSE continues to seek creative solutions that support positive outcomes.”

OLSE administers more labor laws than any other local government agency in the United States. Since 1999, San Francisco has enacted more than 40 local labor laws, including groundbreaking policies like the nation’s first minimum wage (2003), paid sick leave (2006), formula retail (2018), and paid parental leave (2016) ordinances.

OLSE supports a strong atmosphere of labor compliance by providing effective outreach and education to both employers and workers, and by conducting comprehensive investigations. In FY 2024-2025, OLSE staff recorded over 100,000 points of contact with employers and workers through in-person trainings, webinars, poster distribution, phone calls, email communication, and on-demand support. The office maintains 12 multilingual hotlines dedicated to individual policy areas, allowing employers and workers to seek guidance and have questions answered in the language they know best.

OLSE also partners with community-based organizations to conduct consultations with low-income and immigrant workers and, when needed, encourage them to file complaints. Community partners include the Chinese Progressive Association, Asian Law Caucus, Mission Action, Filipino Community Center, La Raza Centro, South of Market Community Action Network, and Trabajadores Unidos Workers United.

This fiscal year, OLSE resolved more cases than ever before—454 completed cases impacting over 17,000 workers—a result of the office’s robust outreach and collaboration with the City Attorney’s Office. Enforcement of the City’s Health Care Security, Minimum Compensation and Health Care Accountability, and Prevailing Wage Ordinances accounted for the highest amount of restitution. These enforcement actions have helped to preserve employees’ access to health care, protect workers on City contracts, and support continued and future compliance.

For more information about the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, read the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Annual Report.