Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Working Americans Are Not Getting Paid-And What We Can Do About It

by Kim Bobo

In what has been described as "the crime wave no one talks about," billions of dollars worth of wages are stolen from millions of workers in the United States every year―a grand theft that exceeds every other larceny category. Even the Economic Policy Foundation, a business-funded think tank, has estimated that companies annually steal an incredible $19 billion in unpaid overtime. The scope of these abuses is staggering, but activists, unions, and policy makers―along with everyday Americans in congregations and towns across the country―have begun to take notice. While the first edition of Wage Theft in America documented the scope of the problem, this new edition adds the latest research on wage theft and tells what community, religious, and labor activists are now doing to address the crisis―from passing state and local wage-theft bills to establishing mayoral task forces and tapping agencies that help low-wage workers in spotting wage theft. Offering a sweeping analysis of the crisis, citing hard-hitting statistics and heartbreaking first-person accounts of exploitation at the hands of employers, this new and updated edition of Wage Theft in America offers concrete solutions and a road map& for putting an end to this insidious practice.

Genres: Labor, Nonfiction, Politics, Economics, Social Justice, Business, Law

314 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2008

Reviews

[Bap · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a person of faith who is outraged over the widespread theft of workers wages by employers who disregard wage and hour laws by failing to pay overtime, forcing workers to work off the clock, or just refusing to pay them at all. there are better written books on this same subject but the strength of this book is a clarion call for better enforcement of our labor laws and for people of faith and good will to insist that the workers that they deal with are not exploited. If you know of someone who is being ripped off, get this book in their hands to empower them to stand up for their rights.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good primer on wage theft.

[Carol Carmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief, informative booklet on wage theft in the US. An explanation of wage theft and the industries where it's most likely to occur. Set in Texas, it explains how employees can fight for their wages.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad reminder of all of those whose employers fail to pay wages correctly under the law. Bobo misses the boat on the issue of private lawsuits, which are the true deterrent to employers.