October 2, 2018
If you put in an honest day’s work, you should get an honest day’s pay. It’s that simple. The problem is, it’s not happening. Wage theft is occurring across the Commonwealth and dishonest employers are getting away with it, because Beacon Hill has continuously sided with business interests over hard-working families.
The numbers are shocking. About $700 million is stolen from workers every year, the majority of whom are low-income people of color. Only a fraction of those wages, less than 1 percent, is recovered by state authorities.
Often, wage theft happens when bad employers use subcontracting and outsourcing to dodge their basic responsibilities. These crimes are so pervasive, they’re overwhelming the capacity of our existing labor laws and enforcement mechanisms. They’re also a drain on our economy that siphons much-needed revenue, funds that could go toward improving roads, schools, transit, and other public infrastructure.
Cities and towns across the Commonwealth understand what’s at stake, and they’ve shown real leadership standing up for the public good and confronting these criminals head on.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh led the charge in 2014, when he issued a powerful executive order protecting vulnerable workers from wage theft. At the time of the historic announcement, he said: “It’s illegal to deny fairly earned wages. This executive order empowers workers to demand what they have worked for. I’m committed to stopping violations and holding employers to the letter of the law.”
Since then, more municipalities, including Chelsea and Lynn, have also passed important anti-wage theft measures. And just this month, the Springfield City Council passed the strongest legislation yet. It ensures that businesses are in full compliance with wage and hour laws, including prevailing wage, before they receive any tax incentives from the city.
It’s a groundbreaking measure, and further proof that cities and towns are showing the way forward, but we still need a statewide solution that protects families from Norwood to New Bedford from this unlawful crime wave.