- L.A. leads New York, Chicago in abuse of low-wage workers, survey says, By Patrick J. McDonnell, January 6, 2010, Los Angeles Times: “Low-wage workers in the Los Angeles area are even more likely than their counterparts in New York and Chicago to suffer violations of minimum wage, overtime and other labor laws, according to a new UCLA study being released today. The study found that almost nine out of 10 low-wage workers surveyed in Los Angeles County had recently experienced some form of pay-related workplace violation, or “wage theft.” Almost one in three reported being paid less than the minimum wage and nearly 80% said they had not received legally mandated overtime…”
- As wage theft rises, states and cities crack down, By Sophia Tareen and Laura Wides-Munoz (AP), December 17, 2009, BusinessWeek: “Fabian Gutierrez logged more than 60 hours a week slicing meat and stocking shelves with cheeses and milk at a neighborhood grocery for less than minimum wage and no overtime. The 32-year-old Mexican immigrant said he put up with the situation for months because he was desperate to support his wife and young daughter. And like many co-workers, he was afraid to challenge his boss. ‘All of us took abuse. We were disrespected,’ said Gutierrez, who found help at a workers’ rights center, joined with other workers to sue the owner of La Fruteria and now works at another grocery store that he says treats him better. Across the nation, the long-simmering problem of employers who don’t pay their workers appears to be getting worse, especially for immigrant laborers…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty