private reg

The Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA) is a California statute that authorizes aggrieved employees to bring actions for civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State of California against their employers for California Labor Code violations. PAGA's purpose is not to recover damages or receive restitution, but rather to allow citizens to act as private attorneys general and enforce the Labor Code. Because PAGA suits are fundamentally law enforcement actions, aggrieved employees must notify the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA)—the state agency that enforces California labor laws—of any alleged Labor Code violations. An aggrieved employee can only file a PAGA lawsuit after the LWDA elects not to pursue its own action against the employer.PAGA was enacted pursuant to Senate Bill 796 (SB 796) in 2003, and it went into effect on January 1, 2004. In enacting PAGA, the California Legislature declared that staffing levels for state labor law enforcement had declined over the last decade, and were unlikely to keep pace with the growth of the labor market. The Legislature determined that it was in the public interest to provide that aggrieved employees can act as private attorneys general and collect civil penalties for Labor Code violations.PAGA lawsuits have become increasingly popular since the statute's enactment. These lawsuits have increased by over 400 percent between 2005 and 2013.

View More On Wikipedia.org