Office of Sen. Sherrod Brown
May 18, 2022
New Report Reveals More than 200,000 Ohioans Lose Out on Thousands of Dollars in Wages Each Year; Brown Bill Would Help Put Wages Back in Workers’ Pockets, Strengthen Worker Protections
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Policy Matters Ohio and Ohio workers for a news conference call to discuss his Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, new legislation to crack down on employers that unfairly withhold wages from their workers.
New analysis from Policy Matters Ohio finds that each year, employers steal from at least 213,000 Ohioans by paying them below the minimum wage, costing a worker who is on the job the full year an average of $2,900, or a quarter of their total wages they earned.
Brown’s new bill with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and his colleagues would put hard-earned wages back in workers’ pockets and crack down on employers who unfairly withhold wages from their employees.
“It’s simple: If you put in the work, you should get paid for it. Companies should not be able to cheat workers out of the wages they earned and get away with it,” said Brown. “Our bill will give workers the power to fight back and recover their lost paychecks, and it will mean real consequences for employers that steal the wages Ohioans work so hard for.”
Brown was joined on the call by two Ohio workers whose wages were stolen by their employers.
“So many people keep quiet about wage theft for fear of losing their jobs. It’s time we put a stop to this,” said Ernest Hatten of Cleveland.