When you think of crime, you probably think of black markets and underworlds. However, the majority of crimes in America occur in plain sight at workplaces across the country on a daily basis. Wage theft occurs when companies neglect to pay employees' legally entitled salaries and/or benefits.
It can take various forms, including paying employees less than the minimum wage, neglecting to pay employees overtime, requiring employees to work off the clock, failing to provide necessary meal breaks, making unlawful paystub deductions, and misclassifying full-time employees as contractors. According to the Economic Policy Institute, minimum wage theft alone costs employees $15 billion each year.
Wage theft instances are not being prosecuted. Only one in every four wage theft offenders is penalized, and monetary damages are imposed in only 14% of cases. Scare tactics are commonly utilized to dissuade employees from speaking up.
Source: The Hustle