State Creates Janitorial Company Registry

Beginning July 1, all janitorial service providers and contractors are required to register with the state of California on an annual basis. Failure to do so will result in fines, the state’s labor commissioner’s office announced Monday. The Property Service Workers Protection Act stipulates that every provider of janitorial services with at least one employee and one janitor must register. The law was signed by Gov. Brown in 2016 and went into effect yesterday. The development stems from an investigation of alleged wage theft at several Cheesecake Factory locations in Southern California by the labor commissioner’s office. Last month, the state found the company liable for $4.57 million in wage theft. According to the new law, all janitorial providers must keep detailed records for three years that include the names and addresses of all employees, the hours worked daily by each employee and wage and hourly rate. Businesses can register online or via mail, there is a $500 nonrefundable fee. Registration will be valid for a year after which companies are required to renew for a fee of $500, according to the Labor Commission website. Failure to register will result in $100 fine a day, up to $10,000. Companies that hire unregistered janitorial contractors will be cited fines of $2,000 to $10,000.