Saturday, January 17, 2015
Where there is a boss, there is a way to steal
Usually from the workers who may only be getting the minimum wage of paper. Sometimes it is a loophole and sometimes it needs workers who aren't aware of what they should be getting. Whichever it may be, the boss will find a way to steal.
Being labeled an independent contractor is one of the most abused ways to steal what is due to workers and despite the recognition of the problems, the laws have yet to be changed.
Across the U.S., millions of workers in 20 states started the New Year with a raise. In nine states, the law required the minimum wage to keep up with inflation, while 11 others passed new legislation to hike up the wage floor. But not everyone entitled to a raise will actually get one.
According to a recent survey from the National Employment Law Project, one in four low-wage workers has suffered some kind of wage theft, with employers taking advantage of a series of loopholes to avoid complying with federal and state labor laws.
In New York, employers are required to pay workers a minimum of $8.75 an hour, up from $8 in 2014. But labor campaigners say the increase won’t matter if the law isn’t actually enforced.
“A lot of times people think of sweatshops in third-world countries,” said JoAnn Lum, executive director of the Coalition for a Real Minimum Wage, a New York advocacy group. “But right here in the United States, all kinds of workers are being sweated. And one aspect of being sweated is being robbed of your wages.”
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