CaliforniaLaborWorkForcePage

California Workforce Initiative

May 2004

Changes in the delivery of health care have a profound impact upon, and are effected by, the 10.5 million health care workers whose labor costs account for almost 70% of health care expenditures. The goal of California Workforce Initiative (CWI), which ran from January 2000 through March 2005, was to improve understanding of California health care workforce issues and to advance the ability of health care workers, at all levels, to contribute to improving the health of Californians. This multiyear initiative was designed to explore, promote, and advance reform within the California health care workforce. The initiative targeted supply and distribution, diversity, skill base and regulation of health workers, utilization of health care workforce, and workers in transition. It also sought to support consumer and public understanding of these workers during a time of change and transition. Central components included a health leadership development fellowship, a study of physicians, examination of the nursing workforce, and improving work conditions for allied health professionals. Reports produced under the California Workforce Initiative include: The California Workforce Initiative was administered by a program office at the Center for the Health Professions that identifies and develops new areas of study and policy work while coordinating existing efforts and communicating results to state and national audiences. For more information and to read the reports, visit the California Workforce Initiative Web site through the links below.
 * //Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics in California// (January 2004)
 * //Diagnostic Imaging Professionals in California// (October 2003)
 * //Massage Therapists in California// (September 2003)
 * //Respiratory Care Practitioners in California// (July 2003)
 * //The Clinical Laboratory Workforce in California// (June 2003)
 * //Chiropractic Care in California// (May 2003)
 * //Health Care Interpreters in California// (April 2003)
 * //Acupuncture in California// (April 2003)
 * //Pharmacy Technicians in California: Snapshot of an Emerging Profession// (March 2003)
 * //The Mental Health Workforce: Who’s Meeting California’s Needs?// (February 2003)
 * //Nursing for the Public's Health: A Profile of Public Health Nurses in Five California Counties// (December 2002)
 * //Admission Policies and Attrition Rates in California Community College Nursing Programs//
 * //California Physicians 2002: Practice and Perceptions// (December 2002)
 * //Pharmacy Staffing: A Silent but Critical Concern// (July 2002)
 * //California’s Open Door Providers: Ten Case Studies of the Health Care Workforce// (July 2002)
 * //The Practice of Medicine in California: A Profile of the Physician Workforce// (February 2001)
 * //Diversifying the Nursing Workforce: A California Imperative// (February 2001)
 * //Nursing in California: A Workforce Crisis// (January 2001)
 * //Minimum Nurse Staffing Ratios in California Acute Care Hospitals// (December 2000)
 * //Improving Oral Health Care Systems in California: A Report of the California Dental Access Project// (2000)

Division of Labor Standards Enforcement The mission of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement is to vigorously enforce minimum labor standards in order to ensure employees are not required or permitted to work under substandard unlawful conditions, and to protect employers who comply with the law from those who attempt to gain competitive advantage at the expense of their workers by failing to comply with minimum labor standards. This program is primarily responsible for the enforcement of California's minimum labor standards including:

California's minimum wage law Timely payment of overtime & wages Record keeping requirements Rest & meal period requirements Mandatory workers' compensation insurance coverage Child labor laws Wage deduction statements Workplace discriminatory retaliation practices Unlicensed contractor requirements In addition, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement licenses or regulates California employers and young workers. This includes licensing for:

Farm labor contractors Garment manufacturers Car wash operators Talent agents Film studio teachers Children employed in the entertainment industry

California Employment Development Department The California Employment Development Department offers a wide variety of services to millions of California workers and businesses under the Job Service, Unemployment Insurance, Disability Insurance, Workforce Investment Act, and Labor Market Information programs. As California's largest tax collection agency, EDD also handles the audit and collection of payroll taxes and maintains employment records for more than 17 million California workers. Each year, EDD collects more than $31 billion in payroll taxes from more than 1 million California employers.

The EDD is concerned about workers who lose benefits and other protections provided by state law when the business that they work for operate in the underground economy. EDD's Underground Economy Operation (UEO) program was established in 1993 to reduce unfair business competition and protect the rights of workers. UEO consists of three significant program focus areas - Employment Enforcement Task Force, Targeted Industries Partnership Program, and the Construction Enforcement Project. Click here for more information on EDD's enforcement efforts and UEO.

California Labor & Workforce Development Agency This link will provide you with background information on our Agency (www.labor.ca.gov/aboutindex.htm).

At the Labor & Workforce Development Agency, the Deputy Secretary for Wage Enforcement & Fair Employment Practices oversees the implementation of the Economic & Employment Enforcement Coalition to ensure that our program resources are leveraged to target the worst offenders in California's underground economy. Our Agency also takes a lead role in coordinating the public education components of the enforcement programs to make certain that employers and workers understand their rights and responsibilities under state and federal law.

California Contractors State License Board The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is mandated by the California Legislature to license and regulate contractors in 42 license classifications within California's construction industry. Contractors are required by law to be licensed and comply with all building, employment, and tax laws. Currently, there are approximately 290,000 licensed contractors regulated by the State.

CSLB's Enforcement Program is responsible for resolving construction disputes, enforcing contractors' license laws, combating the underground economy, and educating consumers and industry about licensing laws. Each year, the Enforcement Program receives more than 20,000 consumer complaints against licensed and unlicensed contractors. CSLB's Enforcement is comprised of 150 staff members who perform various functions from receiving complaints to investigating complaints to participating in outreach seminars focused on educating consumers and other public agencies. CSLB has established a Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) that focuses on the underground economy and on unlicensed contractors. These units conduct stings and sweeps to help curtail illegal contracting by citing those who are not licensed.

For more information on CSLB, click on this link (www.cslb.ca.gov)

US Department of Labor The mission of the US Department of Labor's Wage & Hour Division is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation's workforce. Wage & Hour Division is responsible for the administration and enforcement of a wide range of laws which collectively cover virtually all private and government employment. This link will take you to more information on Wage & Hour Division at the US Department of Labor's Web site (www.dol.gov/esa/whd/)

In June 2005, the first statewide cross-training conference for the newly formed Economic & Employment Enforcement Coalition was held. Coalition partners - US DOL, Contractors State License Board, DIR & EDD, sent 150 of their dedicated enforcement staff to learn about each agency's role and responsibilities in labor law and tax enforcement programs, establish protocols in working with each other, and learn from each of the program experts on how best to reign in California's underground economy.