Sacramento DA Unleashes Historic Wage Theft Charges Against Rocklin Contractor
In a historic move to safeguard workers’ rights, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho announced this week the formation of a new Workers’ Protection Unit and the first-ever felony criminal wage theft charges filed in Sacramento County.
The charges stem from a complaint filed by the Nor Cal Carpenters Union against Rocklin-based contractor ProFrame, which the DA alleges underpaid workers on a public affordable housing project in Oak Park by more than 50%. The new complex is on Broadway, just one block east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
The news conference, where county supervisors, union leaders, laborers and building industry executives stood with Ho, was held symbolically at the Sacramento International Airport — an example, DA Ho emphasized, of a site upholding labor standards and worker protections.
“Wage theft often targets the most vulnerable among us — among us, from immigrants to day laborers to those that are trying to hang on every day,” Ho said. “If you steal from a worker’s wage, you are stealing their rent, their groceries and their dignity. But today is a new day in Sacramento, because today those individuals will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Bee left a voicemail for ProFrame at their Rocklin office, but they did not respond to the call.
Ho states that the firm employed 15 primarily unauthorized workers at a public works construction project but paid them for only half of their actual working hours, leading to over $50,000 in unpaid wages. According to him, when these employees raised objections about this practice, they were let go from their jobs. Last week, law enforcement officials carried out a search warrant as part of their ongoing investigation into the business operations of the company, with plans for an arraignment scheduled for early June.
Ho credited the Nor Cal Carpenters Union and the Sacramento Sierra Building Trades for their collaboration and labor investigations, which initially uncovered the violations.
The Workers’ Protection Unit will not just pursue cases of wage theft but will also look into unsafe working conditions throughout Sacramento County, as mentioned by Ho.
“We stand here wearing vests and hard hats,” Ho said, with construction workers surrounding him. “We stand here arm-in-arm. We stand here with signs and banners to send a message that, in Sacramento, without a doubt, we will make sure that you are held fully accountable under the law for endangering workers and stealing from them.”
Labor leader: ‘This is a crime scene when it comes to production’
Jay Bradshaw, the executive officer of the Nor Cal Carpenters Union, hailed the charges as a landmark moment in labor justice and a model for other jurisdictions in California.
“Every single violation out there is a crime scene,” he said.
In the legal proceeding, Bradshaw stated that the carpenters union claims ProFrame represents a contractor operating under an exploitative business model. They assert this was evident during the Broadway project when these practices were funded by public money.
“That indicates that taxpayers are also being taken advantage of,” he stated.
Bradshaw emphasized the union’s role in uncovering wage theft through frequent late-night probes, extending support to immigrant laborers at campsites and motels, along with thorough record-keeping initiatives.
Bradshaw mentioned that the union focuses on the work these employees perform rather than their classification. Additionally, they are collaborating with Ho to guarantee that all main contractors and developers receiving public funds uphold their responsibility to oversee subcontractors properly.
If they don’t, Bradshaw added, they become accomplices.
Supervisor Kennedy stated that wage theft is essentially no different from robbery.
Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy, long an advocate for labor rights, also praised the action, calling it “a great day for workers not only in Sacramento, but across the state.”
When you take from employees, you rob the community,” Kennedy stated. “If a corporation steals, it’s no different from a masked individual robbing a bank.
Kennedy indicated that this novel legal approach—which involves a district attorney committed to prioritizing wage theft cases—marks a significant shift in how worker protections are enforced. Both Kennedy and Ho stated they chose Sacramento International Airport as the venue for the press briefing due to instances of fair treatment towards employees by various contractors operating there.
Multiple fresh instances of wage theft are currently being examined, including one brought forth by the sheet metal workers’ union. The newly established Workers’ Protection Unit is poised to play a key role in enforcing labor rights across Northern California, as stated by Kennedy. Ho mentioned that this unit plans to conduct thorough investigations and prosecutions of labor violations, collaborating closely with union compliance officers and those impacted workers.
For those who have been victimized, it’s okay to reach out,” Ho stated. “It’s acceptable for victims to speak up—not only to their employers but also to the perpetrators. The message is clear: we will hold you responsible.
Should employees have an issue, they ought to begin by reaching out to the union, as stated by Shelly Orio, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office. The union will then direct the matter to the district attorney.