My employer has failed to pay me for the correct hours 2 paydays in a row

[The Lawn]

What should I do?
I work for a company that manages several housing complexes, it's a seasonal job that's only for the summer.

The checks are dated to be from the 13th to the 26th where I had worked a total of 56, but only paid me for 20, and the second is dated from the 27th to the 10th where I had worked 48 hours, but only been paid for 24.

The same happened to my coworker and when they inquired they were told everything was correct.
I called them today and conveniently, the person who manages the payroll was out of the office.

What can I do about this?
Because I have been paid for less than half of the hours I worked.

I am in California if that helps.

 

[ddrfr33k]

You might want to check on your employment agreement. Some businesses will pay you for a set amount of projected "hours" for a job, regardless of how long it takes you to complete it. If that's the case, you're SOL.

If that's not the case, and you're paid on an hourly basis, I'd take it up with the department of labor. You'll need to document the exact times you punched in and out, with witnesses to corroborate your story. If you can pull that kind of info together, you'll have a a pretty clear-cut case to present an arbiter or judge.