NYDailyNews: Time to come to aid of city's most vulnerable residents and wage war on unpaid wages

Wage theft is exploitation at its worst and, unfortunately, in New York it is a veritable crime wave.

Not surprisingly, most victims are the city's most vulnerable residents: its low-wage and immigrant laborers.

The story of Luis Olivo, who for seven years worked at a Bronx supermarket without receiving a salary - is a perfect example of the outrageous abuses committed with impunity every day by dishonest employers.

"I worked at Fine Fare supermarket from 7:30a.m. until 9 p.m. with half an hour break, six days a week," said Olivo, 45, a Dominican immigrant who came to New York in 1990. "They never paid me anything; I only worked for tips. There were five baggers and Fine Fare never paid any of us."

Make the Road New York, a nonprofit…

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/11/11/2010-11-11_time_to_wage_war_on_unpaid_wages.html#ixzz14zBpu2EY

 

 

People's World: New report highlights wage theft

Whether in Kansas, Florida, Iowa, New York, California, or places in between, if you are a low wage worker, you are at high risk for wage theft - unpaid, delayed or subminimum wag­es. A long list of recent stories in the mainstream press has highlighted such practices - with Asian Pacific Islander, African American, Latino and young workers the likeliest targets - and the fight-back growing stronger.

One such fight-back is being waged here. The San Francisco-based Chinese Progressive Associa­tion last month released a far-reaching report on the problems faced by restaurant workers in this city’s Chinatown, based on surveys of 433 restau­rant workers interviewed by their peers, and ob­servations of 106 restaurants.

The study, “Check Please”, conducted in partnership with the San Francisco

 

http://www.peoplesworld.org/assets/Printable-Editions/11-05chi.pdf

 

Wage Theft: The Crime Wave No One Talks About

HuffPost: Albany: Last Chance to Stop the Wage Thieves

It's difficult to imagine anything more basic to a free economy than the right of an employee to be paid for his or her work. Yet this fundamental right is violated in New York's low-wage industries as a matter of routine. Research from the National Employment Law Project concludes that a fifth of the city's low-wage workers - an estimated 317,200 working New Yorkers - are paid less than the minimum wage in a given week. Even more are cheated out of the tips they've earned, their overtime pay, or the meal breaks they're legally entitled to. It's not a case of a few "bad apples" but a well-documented, pervasive pattern of wage theft throughout the city.

In March, I wrote about powerful state legislation drafted and promoted by community organization Make the Road New York to cut the state's epidemic of wage theft. The Wage Theft Prevention Act stiffens penalties for cheating employees out of wages, encourages workers to come forward, and provides new avenues for investigating and prosecuting wage theft cases - and ensuring violators will pay up. …

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-traub/albany-last-chance-to-sto_b_781736.html

 

 

Kansas.com: Labor leaders told "wage theft" a growing problem in Wichita area

The poor economy has prompted some employers to cut back on expenses by cheating workers out of pay, a group of labor leaders gathered Saturday in Wichita was told.

Representatives of the state and federal Departments of Labor were on hand when Sunflower Community Action held a meeting on what it called a growing problem with "wage theft."

The meeting drew more than 50 people, including a half-dozen state legislators, to Horace Mann Elementary School at 1243 N. Market.

A group of Sunflower Community Action members and other activists said wage law violations were more common that most people think.

Javier Garcia said he's seen many cases in which workers have been denied wages they had coming to them.

"The problem we're talking about — wage theft and labor abuse — happens every day, right here in Wichita," he said.

Sulma Arias said the poor economy has made the problem worse.

Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/10/23/1555418/labor-leaders-told-wage-theft.html#ixzz13OKKSrk7

KTKA49:Labor officials to hold Kansas wage theft hearing

Wichita — Federal and state labor officials will be in Wichita on Saturday for a hearing on the problem of wage theft.

The hearing is one of five being held around the country.

The U.S. Labor Department is looking into violations of minimum wage and overtime laws. It also wants to hear from workers forced to work off the clock, and from those misclassified workers as independent contractors.

Saturday's hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Wichita's Horace Mann Elementary School.

The other hearings Other hearings are being held in Michigan, Rhode Island Iowa and Massachusetts.

http://www.ktka.com/news/2010/oct/22/labor-officials-hold-kansas-wage-theft-hearing/

 

WPTV: Palm Beach County considers new 'wage theft' rules aimed at helping shortchanged workers

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - For Palm Beach County's most vulnerable workers, a day's work doesn't always result in a day's pay.

Whether it is day laborers who receive less than promised after a day at a construction site or hotel cleanup-crews shortchanged after handling an extra shift, low-income local workers need more protection, according to a collection of local congregations pushing for a new "wage theft" law.

On Tuesday, People Engaged in Active Community Efforts, known as PEACE, convinced the Palm Beach County Commission to move forward with a wage-theft ordinance that would give workers new recourse when they don't receive the money they earned from jobs large and small.

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/palm-beach-county-considers-new-%27wage-theft%27-rules-aimed-at-helping-shortchanged-workers

Workplace Blog: Why Are Millions of Workers Excluded From Minimum Wages?

The United States is a country where hard work is supposed to be rewarded. If you agree with that, would you be shocked to learn that there are more than 1.6 million homecare workers who are being denied federal minimum wage and overtime protections under current labor laws? And it is almost 2011!

Chew on this for a minute: More than 1 million hardworking Americans are legally denied basic labor rights most of us take for granted at this point. How did that happen, what can we do to change that?

It all goes back to The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which was enacted in 1938 to ensure a minimum standard of living for workers through the provision of minimum wage, overtime pay, and other protections – yet, domestic workers were excluded.

In 1974 the FLSA was amended to include domestic workers, such as housekeepers, full-time nannies, chauffeurs, and cleaners. However, people who were described as “companions to the elderly or infirm” were for some reason excluded from the law. They were compared to babysitters…

http://www.todaysworkplace.org/2010/09/30/why-are-millions-of-workers-excluded-from-minimum-wages/

 

SalemNews: Border Activists Target Dollar Store Chain

An El Paso group is now reaching out to potential allies in other cities as it expands the campaign against Family Dollar’s labor policies.

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - For more than an hour, business slowed to a trickle at the Family Dollar store in downtown El Paso. Chanting slogans and hoisting signs, a few dozen picketers marched in disciplined, circular formation on the sidewalk in front of the popular discount store on Stanton Street.

Organized by El Paso’s new Retail Workers Rights Committee (RWRC), the protesters demanded that Family Dollar respect workers rights, stop mistreating managers in order to avoid paying overtime and limit managers’ schedules to 52 hours per week. Staging its demonstration during peak Saturday business hours, the RWRC passed out leaflets that read: “Family Dollar Is Not Family Friendly.”

“What makes me do this protest is people don’t know their rights,” said Abel Lopez, former El Paso Family Dollar manager an…

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/october182010/target-protest-kp.php

 

 

CJonline: Wage theft hearing planned

WICHITA — Officials from the U.S. Department of Labor will be in Wichita on Saturday for a hearing on the issue of wage theft.

Kansas is one of five states where the agency is holding field hearings on the issue.

Saturday's hearing starts at 1 p.m. at Horace Mann Magnet School.

The event is sponsored by Sunflower Community Action.

Kansas Labor Secretary Jim Garner is expected to take part, along with the U.S. Labor Department's Midwest regional administrator, Karen Chaikan.

http://cjonline.com/news/state/2010-10-18/wage_theft_hearing_planned

 

DesMoinesRegister: Iowa wage theft laws lag U.S. push, critics say

The federal government and many states, including Iowa, have increased enforcement of wage theft in recent years.

But critics say Iowa's laws have fallen behind a national push to punish employers who don't pay employees for the hours they work.

Employers can be fined $500 for each violation, which can include not paying full wages and overtime, according to Iowa code. Some states, as a result of laws enacted this year, award three times that amount against companies that deny workers overtime wages.

"We have really, really weak penalties," said state Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City who has proposed legislation to strengthen Iowa's wage laws.

Since 2009, five states have increased funding, and stiffened penalties for employers who don't pay minimum wage or overtime. The new laws also…

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101018/NEWS05/10180325/-1/ANKENY/Iowa-wage-theft-laws-lag-U.S.-push-critics-say

 

 

Citizen Times: Iowa workers feel pay theft pinch

Rent was due, and the construction workers were out of options.

So the six men who live in Des Moines pooled money for gasoline, piled into a car and drove west. When they arrived at their boss' suburban home, they demanded thousands of dollars in unpaid wages owed them.

Their demands, made in August, were initially unsuccessful.

"It was only fair," said Pedro, 32, of Mexico, through an interpreter. "I mean, we had done the work."

 

The Euro Masonry workers, who quit their jobs this month, provided only their first names to The Des Moines Register because they are working in the United States illegally and fear deportation.

In the past year, the federal government has investigated an increasing number of wage theft cases in an effort to prevent billions in lost worker pay and…

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/D2/20101017/NEWS05/10170352/Iowa-workers-feel-pay-theft-pinch

 

 

NYT: Car Wash to Pay Workers $1.7 Million in Owed Wages

A car wash in Upper Manhattan agreed to pay its employees more than $1.7 million for five years worth of underpaid wages, under a settlement announced Tuesday by the state Labor Department.

The car wash, Broadway Bridge Wash & Lube at Broadway and 220th Street, routinely cheated its workers, who usually worked 72 hours a week, out of overtime wages and tips from 2003 to 2008, the Labor Department said. Some earned as little as $3.75 an hour, which was $3 below minimum wage at the time, the department said.

Broadway Bridge also agreed to pay $215,000 in penalties to the Labor Department. The settlement stemmed from a statewide investigation of car washes that the Labor Department undertook in 2008. It found that in New York City, as many as 78 percent of car washes violated minimum-wage and overtime laws. A call to the operators of Broadway Bridge — David Winter, Ehud Cafri and Ori Apple — was not immediately returned.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/car-wash-to-pay-workers-1-7-million-in-owed-wages/?emc=eta1

 

Miami New Times: Sixteen Miami-Dade Businesses You Might Not Want to Work For

What do a Christian preschool, a pizzeria, a sod company, and the Tourist Office of Spain have in common?

They've all been caught shortchanging their staff, according to documents obtained by the New Times. But thanks to the Miami-Dade's new Wage Theft Program, those and 12 other companies have voluntarily paid out over $25,000 to current and former employees in the past five months.

Follow the jump to see a full list, including the pay-outs:….

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/10/sixteen_miami-dade_businesses.php

 

ProgressIllinois: Hare Introduces New Bill To Stop Wage Theft

Congressman Phil Hare, of the 17th District, recently introduced a bill that would create a new grant program within the Department of Labor. His office says the program will provide resources and assistance to workers centers, legal aid clinics, and other community-based organizations working to stop wage theft, a pervasive issue that hurts employees across the country. In her 2008 book about the topic, Kim Bobo, executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice in Chicago, found that some 2 million workers are paid less than the minimum wage, 3 million are wrongly classified as independent contractors instead of employees, and millions more are illegally denied overtime pay.

Hare has followed this issue closely; he co-sponsored legislation in July 2009 meant to provide additional enforcement power for investigators during wage theft inquiries. The issue has gained traction over the last two years in other venues as well. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis launched a campaign last year to inform workers who've been bilked of their pay about the resources offered by the federal agency. At the state level, Gov. Quinn signed a bill in July that imposes penalities on employers who shortchange or fail to pay their employees.

http://progressillinois.com/quick-hits/content/2010/10/06/hare-introduces-new-bill-staunch-wage-theft

 

LehighValleyLive: Sodexo workers at Lehigh Valley area hospitals authorize strike

Contracted food service workers at the three hospitals are protesting the company's "pattern of interfering with, restraining and coercing workers who are fighting to form a union," according to a news release from 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union.

 “We voted to strike based on ongoing wage theft issues, high health care premiums and disrespectful treatment. We also face ongoing intimidation by management,” Louis Olsen, a food service worker at Good Shepherd Hospital, says in a news release. “We are taking a stand for better jobs, conditions and benefits for Lehigh Valley Sodexo workers.”

Sodexo workers earn as little as $8.25 an hour, and family health care coverage is out of reach for many. Last fall, Sodexo employees at several hospitals and schools in the region began petitioning for better pay and benefits. Employees allege Sodexo management began intimidating workers by "spying (on) workers engaged in union activity and threatening workers for wearing union t-shirts."

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2010/10/sodexo_workers_at_lehigh_valle.html

 

EGMN: Immigrants targeted for theft

Miguel Davila came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant three years ago from the small town of Acatzingo, Mexico, after hearing that hard work was greatly rewarded in this country.  However, this past summer Davila became a victim of wage theft.

Davila, 28, who requested for his real name to be changed, was looking for work in the Longpoint area when someone hired him to re-roof a building and add air conditioners. After Davila finished, the employer said that he didn’t like the roof and he was not going to pay him.

“The employer even accused us of stealing some of the air conditioners, but they each weighed about 5 tons. In order to lift any of them, I would’ve needed a crane,” said Davila.

The employer threatened to call the police if Davila didn’t leave the premises.

“I knew that my word wasn’t going to measure up to his,” said Davila, who did not recieve any payment for a week’s worth of work at the re-roofing job. “So I just left.”…

http://uhelgato.com/2010/10/immigrants-targeted-for-theft/

 

 

Asian Journal: AAPIs encouraged to report worker abuse

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) residents of Las Vegas are encouraged to voice their concerns about the workplace by calling the federal government.

 

"If you know of instances of malfeasance, stories of employees being shortchanged, or of harassment, criminalization, and wage theft I want to know about it," US Labor Secretary Hilda Solis told a recent forum in Las Vegas.

 

"My department can help you. What we are doing is to empower workers to understand what their rights are so they will be able to start taking action," she also said.

 

Solis said she wants to "open the doors of the Department of Labor (DOL) to low-skilled immigrant workers" to make sure that their concerns are met.

 

"It is particularly important to immigrant community, to those who…

http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-usa/15-dateline-usa/7167-aapis-encouraged-to-report-worker-abuse.html

 

Union Review: Major Legislation to Combat Wage Theft Introduced Today

Today Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) introduced the Wage Theft Prevention and Community Partnership Act, which would authorize the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a competitive grant program to prevent wage theft. The bill would expand the efforts of enforcement agencies and community organizations to educate workers about their rights and the remedies available to them.

Wage theft is the pervasive and illegal practice of not paying workers for all of their work. It includes violations of minimum wage laws; not paying time and a half overtime pay; forcing workers to work off the clock; workers not receiving their final paychecks; misclassifying employees as independent contractors to avoid paying minimum wage and overtime (as well as employers' share of FICA tax); and not paying workers at all.

A landmark study of low-wage workers conducted by UCLA, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the National Employment Law Project found that 15 percent of workers’ wages are stolen on average each week. The Wage Theft Prevention and Community Partnership Grant Program would provide vitally needed resources to worker centers, legal clinics, and other local groups to educate and assist workers victimized by wage theft.

http://unionreview.com/major-legislation-combat-wage-theft-introduced-today

 

LA Wave: South L.A. center builds hope in the midst of a black job crisis

At a time when educational and employment opportunities elude far too many young African-American men, Terence Mason Jr. seems to have it all figured out.

The 21-year-old Toledo, Ohio native is two years away from completing his apprenticeship as a trade certified journeyman sheet metal worker. Within the next few years he intends to become an inspector, then take more schooling to become an engineer.

On Saturday, Mason lent his support to a new advocacy movement supporting local project hire policies that will help create career-track construction jobs for the city’s most underutilized and disadvantaged workers.

….

“There’s also a lot of underemployment in our community, where people don’t have adequate benefits and protections in their jobs. In our research we found that 70 percent of African-Americans are facing some sort of wage theft — meaning employers are not paying overtime and break time, or paying cash under the table. These are all violations of labor law.”…

http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/west-edition/Building-hope-in-the-midst-of-a-Black-job-crisis-104046224.html