DENVER — The City and County of Denver Auditor’s Office announced Monday that it has recovered a record $2.31 million in restitution and helped 7,200 workers get unpaid wages in the 2025 reporting year that ended Oct. 31.
Denver Labor, a city division that enforces wage and hour laws within the City and County of Denver, stated that this marks a 60% increase in the number of workers it assisted compared to the previous year.
“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 in a news release.
The division said it closed 859 cases and audited over 100,000 payroll records, uncovering violations across several industries, including the following:
- 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 whose tip credits were illegally claimed.
- Yoga studio – $16,509 for 66 employees who had sick leave pay violations.
Denver Labor reported that investigations into gig app companies increased in 2025, uncovering various violations, including the misclassification of workers at Veryable and Qwick as independent contractors.
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