Stopping Wage Theft

Wage theft – the non- or under-payment of wages– occurs with alarming frequency in the low-wage labor market. Wage theft occurs whenever employers do not pay legally required overtime, when employees are required to work outside their times or when they are paid less than the minimum wage. All of these practices are violations of the law. A study of over 4,000 low wage workers in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City revealed that

  • 26 % of workers were paid less than the legal minimum wage (60% of these workers were underpaid by more than $1 an hour);
  • 76% of workers who worked overtime were not paid the legally required rate

 

The study, Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers, calculated that the surveyed workers suffering wage theft lost an annual average of $2,634, this out of total yearly earnings of $17,616.

These employer practices indicate extensive labor law violations and a breakdown of government enforcement. In response, throughout the country, many workers’ rights organizations and their allies have stepped up to educate and organize workers and to press for legal and legislative remedies. For more, see Discount Foundation’s report “The Movement to End Wage Theft”.

Organization Namesort descending Purpose of Grant Amount State Year
Campaign for Migrant Worker Justice Tobacco Harvesters Campaign $25,000 Ohio 2010
Casa Latina Workers Defense Committee $20,000 Washington 2010
Casa Latina City and statewide campaigns to prevent wage theft $40,000 Washington 2011
Chicago Workers Collaborative General Operating Support $20,000 Illinois 2010
CLEAN Carwash Campaign (via Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance) Clean Carwash Campaign $20,000 California 2009
CLEAN Carwash Campaign (via Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance) Clean Carwash Campaign $25,000 Colorado 2010
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles Immigrant Worker Rights and Economic Justice Project $25,000 California 2009
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles Immigrant Worker Rights and Economic Justice Project $25,000 California 2010
DC Jobs with Justice Day laborers organizing project $30,000 District of Columbia 2011
Domestic Workers United (via La Fuente) Domestic Workers United $25,000 New York 2010
Florida Immigrant Coalition South Florida Wage Theft Task Force $25,000 Florida 2009
Florida Immigrant Coalition County and statewide campaigns to prevent wage theft $35,000 Florida 2011
Florida Immigrant Coalition South Florida Wage Theft Task Force $25,000 Florida 2010
Fuerza Laboral Day laborers organizing project $35,000 Rhode Island 2011
Fuerza Laboral General operating support $20,000 Rhode Island 2010
Interfaith Worker Justice General operating support $25,000 Illinois 2009
Interfaith Worker Justice Support for local, state and national campaigns to prevent wage theft $30,000 Illinois 2011
Interfaith Worker Justice National Wage Theft Campaign $25,000 Illinois 2010
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Dignity for All Workers $20,000 Iowa 2009
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Local and statewide campaigns to prevent wage theft $35,000 Iowa 2011
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Dignity for All Workers Project $15,000 Iowa 2010
Make the Road New York City and statewide campaigns to prevent wage theft $30,000 New York 2011
Make the Road New York Workplace Justice Project $20,000 New York 2010
National Day Laborer Organizing Network General operating support $20,000 California 2009
National Day Laborer Organizing Network General operating support $25,000 California 2010
National Employment Law Project Support for local, state and national campaigns to prevent wage theft $35,000 District of Columbia 2011
National Employment Law Project Just Pay Project $25,000 New York 2010
National People’s Action Worker Justice Project $25,000 Illinois 2010
National Training and Information Center Worker Justice Project $25,000 Illinois 2009
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United General operating support $25,000 New York 2010
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United Support for organizing restaurant workers $35,000 New York 2011
Sunflower Community Action Campaign for Clean and Safe Ports: supporting right of drivers to unionize $30,000 Kansas 2011
Sunflower Community Action Independent Worker Organizing Project $20,000 Kansas 2010
The American Prospect Special edition focusing on Wal-Mart $5,000 District of Columbia 2011
United Workers Association General operating support $25,000 Maryland 2009
Voces de la Frontera General operating support $20,000 Wisconsin 2009
Voces de la Frontera General operating support $20,000 Wisconsin 2010
Workers Defense Project City and statewide campaigns to prevent wage theft $40,000 Texas 2011