Low-Wage Workers Routinely Cheated

A powerhouse of scholars has just released a comprehensive report documenting systemic, "widespread" wage violations in the low-wage market.  68% of more than 4,000 low-wage workers surveyed (average wage was $8.02/hour) had experienced at least one wage violation in the week prior.  Wage violations included: not receiving overtime pay, not being given any breaks, having deductions illegally taken from paychecks, being forced to work past their scheduled finishing time, having their tips inappropriately garnished, and being paid less than the legal minimum wage.  Critical to keep in mind as you advocate for workers' rights: the overall quality of the the workplace correlates strongly to the likelihood of wage violations.

39% of respondents are undocumented, 31% are legal immigrants, and 30% are native born Americans.  All groups experienced employer exploitation, contradicting researchers' expectations that such violations were confined to those workers not here legally.  Women were particularly exploited, especially undocumented women, and African-Americans were three times as likely to experience wage violations compared to white workers.  The nefarious intersection of race, gender and poverty in action!

To add insult to injury, literally, companies effectively coerced their employees from filing for workers' compensation, in large part due to workers' fear of employer retaliation.

Employer characteristics have a much higher correlation to wage violations than worker characteristics (for those of you ready to jump on the illegal immigrant scapegoat wagon).  And wage violations correspond to the overall quality of jobs at companies:

"We found a range of workplace practices—offering health insurance, providing paid vacation and sick days, and giving raises—that were associated with lower violation rates. This suggests that employers’ decisions about whether or not to comply with the law are part of a broader business strategy shaping the workplace."

Contrary to the vaunted esteem in which we hold small businesses, they are much more likely to exploit their workers than big firms (which use their powers to exploit Congress and manipulate the overall economy).

The report finishes with three recommendations for which advocacy is essential:

• "Strengthen government enforcement of employment and labor laws;"
• "Update legal standards for the 21st century labor market," (e.g. the Employee Free Choice Act!);
• "Establish equal status for immigrants in the workplace."  (Links added)

Support Workers' Rights Today!

(Top photo "Civil Disobedience for Houston Janitors" of SEIU rally in support of striking janitors by Brooke Anderson; Bottom photo of Protest: Justice for Janitors at Northeastern University in 2008 by SignalPAD)