Highest wage theft recovery total ever for Denver Labor

Highest wage theft recovery total ever for Denver Labor

Published on November 03, 2025

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DENVER - Denver Labor's impressive track record continues, as the wage enforcement division recovered a new high amount of restitution for thousands of workers. In the 2025 reporting year ending Oct. 31, Denver Labor closed 845 cases - collecting a record $2,310,009.82 in restitution and helping a record 7,200 workers receive the money they were owed for unpaid wages. The number of workers we helped increased by 64% compared to the previous year. The City and County of Denver's investment in Denver Labor directly results in these year-after-year records and positively impacts our most vulnerable, underpaid residents.

"Wage theft is an ongoing problem in Denver. The more resources we have, the more money we recover for workers and the more people we can help," Denver Auditor Timothy M. O'Brien, CPA said.

Denver Labor enforces city laws involving wage theft and ensures prevailing wage requirements for city contracts are met. Our dedicated analysts investigate 100% of wage complaints we receive. Common wage theft examples include violations around minimum wage, overtime, prevailing wave, paid sick leave, rest breaks, and independent contractor misclassifications.

Figure 1. Timeline of recovered wages and employees receiving restitution

Source: Auditor's Office analysis of data from the Denver Labor Division.

We audited more than 100,000 payroll records for a second straight year and uncovered a variety of wage violations across multiple industries. Our work makes a difference:

• Steakhouse restaurant - $70,010.71 for 44 workers paid below minimum wage.
• Real estate company - $28,803.09 for two employees paid below minimum wage.
• Nail salon - $27,794 for 14 employees paid below minimum wage.
• Barbershop - $23,240.76 for 21 workers who had the tip credit illegally claimed.
• Yoga studio - $16,509 for 66 employees who had sick leave pay violations.

Our investigations into gig app companies grew in 2025. We found 1,467 workers at Veryable were misclassified as independent contractors, had sick leave violations, or were otherwise underpaid for their work. Similar wage theft occurred for 849 workers at Qwick.

"We are committed to helping everyone. Especially those who may otherwise remain silent because they fear retaliation or are not able to speak up for themselves," said Denver Labor Executive Director Matthew Fritz-Mauer. "We take wage investigations seriously. Every dollar we recover is vital to supporting better worker and family stability."

Beyond conducting wage theft investigations, Denver Labor actively supports employees and businesses with wage law information, providing educational resources directly to workers and employers. Our goal is to ensure everyone is compensated according to the law. We conduct site visits to speak with employees and confirm whether they are paid correctly for their work. Our analysts take an education-first approach and seek practical resolutions to help employers correct any wage violations.

"Most businesses want to do right by their employees," Fritz-Mauer added. "Mistakes do happen. But it's important we also support these honest businesses by making sure dishonest competitors are not undercutting them by violating the law."

In 2024, we commissioned the Workplace Justice Lab at Rutgers University to assess the widespread impacts of wage theft in our community. The research revealed tens of thousands of workers in the Denver metro area are paid below minimum wage each year. This issue persists through 2025 and will continue into 2026. The need for continued wage accountability underscores the valuable service Denver Labor provides to workers and the city.

"Denver workers need the city's support, now more than ever," Auditor O'Brien said. "Our analysts are committed to ensuring people are paid what they are owed and basic worker rights are upheld."

We encourage anyone who may have had wages stolen to contact our office. Workers may submit anonymous complaints. We do not ask about immigration status.

AUDITOR TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, CPA
Denver Auditor

Denver Auditor's Office

201 W. Colfax Ave. #705 Denver, CO 80202 Email: [email protected] Call: 720-913-5000 Follow us on Facebook Connect with us on Twitter

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