I was surprised to read that in the U.S., workers “have an estimated $50bn-plus stolen from them every year, … surpassing all robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts combined,” the Guardian said on Thursday, June 15, 2023 (read story here).
I knew wage theft was a problem, and I’ve been seeing more stories about it recently, but I had no idea employers are stealing more money than all criminals combined.
Wage theft occurs in various ways, including nonpayment of wages, making employees work through breaks and off the clock, not paying overtime, violating minimum wage laws, confiscating tips, “misclassifying” employees as independent contractors, and illegal deductions from paychecks.
It’s not just fly-by-night contractors or strip-mall retail shops doing this. Wage thieves include “some of the largest employers in the U.S.” The Guardian named two: Amazon and Walmart.
Laws exist, but enforcement is spotty and lax. In Florida, nonexistent, because that state doesn’t even have a department of labor.
Who would’ve guessed America’s worst crooks are employers?