DENVER LABOR
In 2023, the Denver City Council passed the new Civil Wage Theft Ordinance, which gave our office the authority to help protect workers of every pay level across the city. As a result of the new law and additional enforcement work by our skilled team of analysts, we nearly doubled our previous record of restitution returned to workers.
Denver Labor closed its reporting year with more than $2 million recovered for workers — an all-time high that helped more than 3,500 people pay their bills, support their families, and contribute in our communities.
“Every case is important to our team, big or small, because every worker matters to our community,” Auditor O’Brien said. “My Denver Labor team is a national example of how to do this work the right way — by engaging both workers and businesses in pursuit of shared positive outcomes.”
The citywide minimum wage rate will increase from $17.29 per hour to $18.29 per hour on Jan. 1, 2024. Employers can still claim up to $3.02 in tip credits per hour for qualified food and beverage workers, provided employers can show documentation of at least that amount in actual tips received.
Working with businesses and the community
Educating and engaging with the business community is the first step in successful enforcement. Workers, well-intentioned employers, and Denver Labor would all prefer workers to be paid correctly from their first paycheck.
“Wage theft is not just a problem for workers; it’s theft from the whole community,” Denver Labor Executive Director Matthew Fritz-Mauer said. “People need the money they’ve earned to pay for rent, school, day care, food, and more. When workers have their wages stolen, families and communities suffer.”
High-risk industries for wage theft include construction, restaurants and bars, beauty and salon services, valet services, home care, national chains, and businesses along Denver’s borders.
Successful restitution cases
Denver Labor’s goal is to protect Denver’s employers and employees and ensure everyone is paid according to the law. Our team of analysts investigate 100% of wage complaints and we audit 100% of certified city prevailing wage payrolls.
Denver’s Civil Wage Theft Ordinance adopts an “up-the-chain accountability” approach. This means that any employer who ultimately benefits from a worker’s labor may be required to pay their wages. In one successful case, Denver Labor’s prevailing wage team notified our civil wage theft team of a city subcontractor that did not pay its workers. The primary contractor promptly paid $5,722.82 in restitution to seven employees.
Some cases impact many workers, while some cases impact only a few. No case is too small for our team to investigate. For example, Denver Labor received a wage complaint after Starbucks required its workers at two locations in Denver to perform work duties off the clock. After an investigation, our civil wage theft team determined three workers were owed $184.24 for the work performed.
On the other hand, simple errors in payroll can have a big impact for a lot of people. For example, in another case in 2023, we received a wage complaint because a company was not paying remote employees who live and work in the City and County of Denver the correct minimum wage. As a result of our work, our team recovered $334,211.23 for 161 employees.
If you or someone you know might have been underpaid at work, we might have a check waiting for you. Check out our “Are You Owed Money” page to see if you, a family member, or a friend’s name is on the list.

Denver's unpaid wages recovered by the labor divisions of the Denver Auditor's Office. In 2023, Denver Labor recovered $2,043,086, a record amount of restitution on behalf of workers.
ACTION POINT
Complaints can be anonymous, and we encourage community groups to advocate for their members and partner with us to begin investigations. Visit our website for resources to help both workers and businesses navigate the city’s wage ordinances. Tools include an address finder to see whether your place of work qualifies for the citywide minimum wage, a tips tracker for the food and beverage industry, a minimum wage calculator, and a mandatory work site poster for all businesses. Visit DenverGov.org/DenverLabor for more.