In a new study, 68% of the workers who were interviewed had experienced at least one pay-related violation in the previous work week. You heard that right. In the previous week alone:
In surveying 4,387 workers in various low-wage industries, including apparel manufacturing, child care and discount retailing, the researchers found that the typical worker had lost $51 the previous week through wage violations, out of average weekly earnings of $339. That translates into a 15 percent loss in pay.
The researchers said one of the most surprising findings was how successful low-wage employers were in pressuring workers not to file for workers’ compensation. Only 8 percent of those who suffered serious injuries on the job filed for compensation to pay for medical care and missed days at work stemming from those injuries.
“The conventional wisdom has been that to the extent there were violations, it was confined to a few rogue employers or to especially disadvantaged workers, like undocumented immigrants,” said Nik Theodore, an author of the study and a professor of urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois, Chicago. “What our study shows is that this is a widespread phenomenon across the low-wage labor market in the United States.”
They were surprised by this? Seriously? Sure, I suppose 68% is higher than I would have guessed, but I sure wouldn’t have guessed that this kind of thing was confined to a “few rogue employers” either. How many reports of mistreatment do we have to get before we finally figure out that labor violations are rampant in this country?