Wage Theft

Wage theft is the illegal practice of withholding wages or benefits that are owed to an employee. It can include failing to pay overtime, paying less than the minimum wage, making illegal deductions from paychecks, or misclassifying workers to avoid paying certain benefits. Wage theft is a serious problem that affects workers in many industries, and can have significant financial and emotional consequences for workers and their families. It is important for workers to be aware of their rights and to know how to report wage theft if it occurs. Governments and advocacy groups also play a role in preventing and addressing wage theft through education, enforcement, and other means.

 

 

It’s Nearly Labor Day, and Congress Has a Chance to Abolish Prison Slavery
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It’s Nearly Labor Day, and Congress Has a Chance to Abolish Prison Slavery

Johnny Perez was arrested and incarcerated two days after his daughter was born, a heart-wrenching fact by itself. Perez wanted to be there for his daughter, but he was stuck at a state prison in Coxsackie, New York. He worked hard to save money, but his prison job sewing bed sheets started at 17 cents…

In Minnesota, a New Model Challenges the Widespread Mistreatment of Construction Workers
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In Minnesota, a New Model Challenges the Widespread Mistreatment of Construction Workers

The campaign’s roots go back to 2016, when the worker’s center, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en La Lucha (CTUL), worked with SEIU, the nation’s second largest union, to organize 600 Target and Macy’s janitors in the Twin Cities, says Burt Johnson, general counsel for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.  He was impressed…

‘There is slavery in the fields of North Carolina’
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‘There is slavery in the fields of North Carolina’

I’ll never forget something that advocate and former farmworker Leticia Zavala said to me during an interview. “There is slavery in the fields of North Carolina.” She said it almost in passing, as part of a larger laundry list of abusive and deadly conditions experienced by farmworkers in the state as part of the H-2A…

Dispute between a Utah farmer and farmworkers triggers probe into fraud and human trafficking
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Dispute between a Utah farmer and farmworkers triggers probe into fraud and human trafficking

Authorities are investigating the former president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation over allegations of fraud and human trafficking following an altercation that left one of his farmworkers in need of medical care, the Utah Department of Public Safety confirmed to NBC News. The probe comes as Ron Bennett Gibson, 50, resigned Tuesday from Utah’s…

New Mexico AG Investigating Alleged Wage Theft and Human Trafficking at Cannabis Facility – Ganjapreneur
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New Mexico AG Investigating Alleged Wage Theft and Human Trafficking at Cannabis Facility – Ganjapreneur

The New Mexico Attorney General’s office is investigating a cannabis facility for alleged wage theft and human or labor trafficking, KOB 4 reports. While the AG’s office has confirmed the investigation, no arrests have been made.   “We can confirm that the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office is investigating allegations of potential wage theft and…

Minnesota wage-theft law starts, critics warn of unintended consequences | Finance & Commerce
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Minnesota wage-theft law starts, critics warn of unintended consequences | Finance & Commerce

A new state law that holds contractors and developers responsible for subcontractor wage violations on their jobsites goes into effect Tuesday. The Construction Worker Wage Protection Act, part of the omnibus jobs and labor bill that was signed into law during the 2023 legislative session, “gives workers hope in collecting their unpaid wages for the…

Immigrant health workers fear they can’t escape contracts
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Immigrant health workers fear they can’t escape contracts

Immigrants hired to yearslong contracts to fill thousands of U.S. healthcare roles said they are paid less than their co-workers, deceived about benefits such as free housing and, if they try to leave, threatened with tens of thousands in debt, NBC News reported June 4. More than a dozen immigrant healthcare employees told the news…

Cannabis workers face death and exploitation. California is stepping in after Times investigation
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Cannabis workers face death and exploitation. California is stepping in after Times investigation

WEAVERVILLE, Calif.  — Acknowledging growing concern over the mistreatment of cannabis workers, California regulators have quietly assembled a team to pursue labor exploitation in the state’s burgeoning weed industry. The new unit, housed within the Department of Cannabis Control, recently solicited help from law enforcement agencies statewide to investigate cannabis operators who coerce or threaten workers,…

Inside the Government’s Failing Program to Protect Farmworkers
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Inside the Government’s Failing Program to Protect Farmworkers

Editor’s Note: This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting and was originally published by Investigate Midwest.   In early 2019 in Illinois, a farmworker, his wife and his son lived in a moldy house. Attempting to keep the winter cold at bay, he’d spray-foamed the windows shut. The toilet often malfunctioned. Unlike most farmworker housing,…

Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise – Star Tribune
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Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise – Star Tribune

Roberto Jacobo is an immigrant who estimates he lost $90,000 in income over 15 years as a home remodeler because his employers did not pay him his owed overtime or prevailing wage on jobs. For years he stayed quiet, afraid his employers would retaliate because he is an immigrant. Then he decided enough is enough…