Stealing Wages is a Crime

National epidemic robbing both Peter and Paul

Thursday, November 18, was National Day of Action to Stop Wage Theft, sponsored by Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ).

Wage theft is a national criminal epidemic that steals billions of dollars every year from millions of hard working Americans:

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; and not paying workers at all.

On its website, IWJ has a list of actions you can take to prevent wage theft and shine a bright light on businesses that steal from their workers in your community. There you can sign a petition to Congress to pass legislation that would strengthen the power of the Department of Labor and other regulators to crack down on these thieves.