Alleged wage abuses at Inland Empire warehouses investigated

The California State Labor Commissioner has slapped an Inland warehouse distribution center with a fine of $500,000 after an inspection uncovered violations that included withholding overtime pay to dozens of workers.

State labor investigators went after two agencies that supply workers to Schneider Logistics. Schneider operates a Walmart distribution center in Mira Loma area near Riverside.

The California Department of Industrial Relations fined Impact Logistics $499,000 for failing to provide itemized wage statements and for not maintaining timecard records. Another firm was issued a warning over similar violations.

Jose Martinez unloads truck containers at Schneider. He was hired through Impact Logistics. He says temp workers were generally paid a flat rate for a specific job, regardless of how many hours worked. Actual pay, he claims, was usually far below what was promised.

“We think it’s extraordinary that the labor commissioner took this action," said Guadalupe Palma, regional director of Warehouse Workers United, which advocates for Inland Empire warehouse employees. “We hope that this is a signal that the labor commissioner is taking the warehouse very seriously. They know the conditions at Schneider are common in the industry so we hope that they will continue to look closer into the warehouse industry and continue to do these types of audits.”

The state labor commision will review payroll records going back several years to determine if workers were underpaid on a regular basis. Impact Logistics & Schneider Logistics say they are cooperating with the audit.

Correction: This story originally incorrectly stated the last name of Guadalupe Palma.