The labor board was correct: the way you recover money which another owes you, such as giving you checks which bounce or not paying you at all, is by suing them. If it's not worth it economically to sue (though the cost of being your own attorney in small claims court is very low--usually around  $30) or you don't want to sue your employer for other reasons, you don't really have any other recourse. The best thing to do, though, is to look for another job--one that does not involve an employer who cheats you and/or is so insolvent that it's checks bounce and it can't pay you.