Wage theft is the denial of wages or employee benefits that are rightfully owed to an employee. Wage theft can be conducted through various means such as: failure to pay overtime, minimum wage violations, employee mis-classification, illegal deductions in pay, working off the clock, or not being paid at all.
Solutions:
- Expand the current City of Houston wage theft ordinance and increase financial penalties to all private employers within city limits, not just city contractors
- Place a lien against city contractors and subcontractors accused of wage theft
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Require private employers to inform the public of wage violations
- Required employers post a notice to the public if they have failed to comply with a settlement or decision.
- Require businesses to pay an annual licensing fee to fund enforcement
- Any business found to have violated the state ban on wage theft — and is still violating it — will not have their city license applications renewed for the new year. The decision can be appealed to the city council.
- The law must include broad protections for workers, including a broad presumption that adverse action within 90 days of a complaint is unlawful retaliation (reducing hours)
- To discourage wage theft on a broader scale, employers who violate the law, especially repeat violators, must be required to pay more than just wages due; they must also pay monetary penalties. Effective penalties should be of an amount sufficient to discourage employers from engaging in wage theft.
Texas Constitution
Code – Labor
Chapter – 61 Payment of Wages
Section – 61.019 Failure to Pay Wages; Criminal Penalty
Code – Penal Code
Chapter – 31 Theft
Section – 31.04 Theft of Service
El Paso Times – Editorial: El Paso can lead on wage theft prevention
Next City – Berkeley Makes History With Wage Theft Ordinance
Next City – Houston City Council Passes Wage Theft Ordinance
Next City – Congress Dems Want to Tackle Wage Theft Nationwide
Next City – Wage Theft Hotline Hits Home With California Port Drivers
Think Progress – Houston Cracks Down On Employers Who Steal Workers’ Wages
Think Progress – Florida County Makes It Easier For Workers To Get Unpaid Wages From Bosses
Think Progress – Wage Theft Allegations At Walmart Subcontractor Lead To Big Settlement
Texas Tribune – Texas Cities Step Up Prosecutions of Wage Theft
Texas Tribune – Texas Officials Announce Crackdown on Wage Theft
Texas Observer – El Paso Becomes Second City to Indict Employer for Wage Theft
Economic Policy Institute – New legislation could help end wage theft epidemic
Philly Voice – Philly’s new wage theft ordinance is now in effect
LA Times – Will L.A. put money behind wage theft crackdown?
Chicago Tribune – Cook County OKs ordinance to combat wage theft
CLASP – Chicago City Council Unanimously Passes Strong Anti-Wage Theft Ordinance
New York Times – Enforcement Is Next Task for Law on Wage Theft
New York Times – More Workers Are Claiming ‘Wage Theft’
Washington Post – If politicians care about a rigged system, it’s time to address wage theft
Al Jazeera – How some minimum wage workers are robbed by their employers
Salon – Fast food pulls a fast one: Wage theft rampant at McDonald’s and more
Salon – How corporations get away with rampant wage theft
Salon – Houston crackdown: City defies Texas corporate crime wave
Houston Chronicle – Council gives wage theft ordinance unanimous passage
Houston Chronicle – Wage save for workers
Houston Chronicle – Workers file 1st complaint under city wage theft law
Salon – Houston crackdown: City defies Texas corporate crime wave
Policy Matters Ohio – Cincinnati anti-wage theft law is a model for Ohio
Chelsea Council Becomes First City Council in MA to Take Action on Private Sector Wage Theft
Business Journal – Sea Salt ‘wage theft’ case serves as a cautionary tale for businesses
USA Today – Cincinnati first Ohio city to pass wage theft ordinance
Osceola Gazette – Much-discussed wage theft ordinance passes
Mother Jones – Tyson Foods Wants the Supreme Court to Block Its Employees From Suing for Wage Theft
NPR – Construction Booming In Texas, But Many Workers Pay Dearly
Houston Free Press – Unpaid Tips and Wages in Restaurants: How Common Is It?
Seattle Times – Seattle takes aim at wage theft; first 3 years of law came up empty
The Daily Beast – The Very Real Scourge of Wage Theft
The Week – One of the biggest crime waves in America isn’t what you think it is
Tampa Bay Times – St. Petersburg’s wage-theft program has slow start, needs tweaks
Austin Chronicle – Then There’s This: Working Man of Green Gables
New Brunswick Today – Wage Theft Ordinance Yields Results For Disenfranchised Workers
US News – Settlements totaling $12M-plus reached in minimum wage cases
San Jose Looks to Strengthen Wage Theft Ordinance
Brownsville Herald – Wage-theft victory aims to encourage fight against rights’ abuse
The Monitor – Wage theft, an issue that affects all of us
Gothamist – NYC Passes First Freelancer Wage Theft Protections In The Nation
NPR – First El Paso Conviction Secured Under Texas Wage Theft Law
Houston’s Attempt To Curb Wage Theft
Victorian government pledges to introduce jail terms for wage theft
Study prompts calls for greater wage theft enforcement in San Diego
Businesses That Fail To Pay Wage Theft Citations Could Soon Lose License
New Brunswick becomes first town in state to adopt ordinance banning wage theft
Jersey City council adopts anti-wage theft law
Under a new law, retailers share liability for misclassified truck drivers at California ports
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