What’s Being Done about Wage Theft around the Country

Host Jo Ann Hardesty speaks with Rebecca Smith from the National Employment Law Center about what’s being done about wage theft around the country, 

Wage theft is the widespread and illegal practice of not paying workers for some or all of their work. It happens when employers pay less than the minimum wage, don’t pay overtime, force employees to work ‘off the clock’ or ‘under the table’, issue paychecks that bounce, steal tips, deny legally required meal and rest breaks, or don’t pay workers at all.

Wage theft impacts thousands of Oregon workers. During a recent six-year period, Oregon workers filed nearly 9,900 wage claims for $28.2 million in unpaid wages with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), according to research by the Oregon Center for Public Policy.