According to Law360, the California Senate passed two bills, AB 1881 and AB 2771, attempting to crackdown on minimum wage violations in the underground economy.   AB 1881 would allow employees to recover twice the amount of unpaid minimum wages from their employer, and AB 2771 would criminalize employers’ failure to issue itemized wage statements to their employees.  Violating AB 2771 would be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1000 or up to one year in jail or both.  The bills now proceed to Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk. 

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