Costs American Workers $30 Billion Annually
POSTED: 03:52 PM CST Feb 11, 2015
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Today Representative Carly Melin (DFL-Hibbing), joined by victims of wage theft, announced legislation combating wage theft.
“The American dream is about working hard and pursuing a better life,” said Rep. Melin. “But people across Minnesota are held back by employers who deny overtime pay, refuse to pay employees for the hours worked, or don’t pay minimum wage. This is how wage theft holds back people who are working to make ends meet.”
A report by the Economic Policy Institute shows wage theft costs American workers over $30 billion a year.
In 2012 the FBI reported every robbery, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft cost less than $14 billion.
“The Iron Range was built on immigrate labor over 100 years ago. Wage theft was happening then and it is happening now. That is really unfortunate and disheartening and it is time we fixed the problem.”