BY MELINA DRUGA | APRIL 4, 2019
Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) recently proposed two bills aimed at protecting workers from wage theft.
Wage theft is when employers misclassify employees. Misclassification can cause any of the following scenarios: employees are not paid for all hours worked, employees are paid below the minimum or promised wage, employees are denied pay and access to benefits, employees are not paid at all, or employers make illegal deductions or steal tips from tipped employees.
The first bill would require employers to post information about the state’s Wage Payment and Collection Law. This information would include the definition of wage theft and worker remedies for violations. Failure to do so would result in a fine of up to $500.
The second bill would suspend or disbar violators of the law from participating in commonwealth procurement contracts.
“We have to strengthen our laws to protect working people and their right to get paid for the work they do,” Hughes said. “Employees need to know the law ensures they are paid for all hours worked, including overtime. Beyond that, we have to send a clear message to unscrupulous businesses that we will not tolerate wage theft.”
In 2013, wage theft cost Pennsylvania workers $258 million, according to Community Legal Services Philadelphia.