Imagine having to clock out mid-shift to prevent getting paid overtime, but not leaving for another hour or two. Having to punch out for break but work through it, or having a paid vacation taken away as if it never existed? Situations relative to these are reality and are classified as wage theft, defined by the wage theft website as “a variety of infractions that occur when workers do not receive their legally or contractually promised wages” (Wage Theft). The public is generally uneducated of the concept of wage theft and the effects it has on our society, let alone what can be done about it. The Wage Theft Prevention Act, an act established in 2011 by the state of New York, provides laws protecting working citizens, and is an act that should be effective nationwide. As a country, we support the terms “freedom”, “equality”, and “rights”; however, we need to focus on the working citizens of the United States and ensure equal rights for everyone. The wage theft website indicates that wage theft is not stereotypical, and the issue is not primarily in specific work fields. No worker can particularly avoid wage theft, whether good wages or great benefits. Wage theft is more likely to occur in non-union workplaces. Industries including agriculture, janitorial services, retail, and restaurant work are among many of the most reported cases involving wage theft. Wage theft includes but is not limited to: not paying for all hours worked or not paying overtime, not paying minimum wage or not paying at all. Incidents classified as wage theft most often violate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which provides a federal minimum wage but allows states to set their own minimum wage increased from the federal, and requires employers to pay... ... middle of paper ... ...%2C0>. Fox, Emily Jane, ed. "McDonald's workers sue for wage theft." CNN Money. N.p., 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. wage-theft-class-action/>. Hsu, Tiffany, ed. "Nearly 90% of fast-food workers allege wage theft, survey finds." Los Angeles Times. N.p., 1 Apr. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. business/la-fi-mo-wage-theft-survey-fast-food-20140331>. Johnson, Stephon. "Workers protest 'wage theft'." New York Amsterdam News 23 May 2013: 10. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 May 2014. New York State Department of Labor Wage Theft Prevention Act. NYS Department of Labor. PDF file. Shortchanged: A study of unpaid wages in Rhode Island. Laboral Fuerza, 2013. PDF file. "What is Wage Theft?" Wage Theft. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. .
Labor’s rights, this issue have been bothering many worker since the 19th century and can still be a problem today. As John L. Lewis has said in his speech “I repeat that labor seeks peace and guarantees its own loyalty, but the voice of labor, insistent upon its rights, should not be annoying to the ears of justice or offensive to the conscience of the American people” (John L. Lewis), which under his words meant that labor is something that can be done right and peacefully but it needs rules and benefits that come with those rules which labor asks for and when labor asks for those rules and benefits it shouldn’t be taken like some annoying kid’s demands but more as something that needs to be done and done with a right mind set. Labor today consists of a man or woman going to work, working their hours, and finally getting paid for those hours at the end of the week, at least a minimum of $7.50 an hour (United States Department of Labor), but before it wasn’t like that before many workers would get paid very poorly even thought they would work for a lot of hours and they wouldn’t get benefits from their work or safety when working such as in the mines like the mine workers, but one man stood up for them and his name was John L. Lewis (John Llewellyn Lewis, Encyclopedia).
An article from the Atlantic, my life as a retail worker: Nasty, Brutish and poor, provides the inside details of the contemporary low-wage job. The author, Joseph Williams, goes through the challenges being a low-wage employee and the additional side jobs he has to perform. The low-wage workers, who earn little more than minimum wage, are treated unfairly by the upper management in today’s occupations. In the article, Williams have to do extra work after their shits without any overtime pay. Williams had to “mop the floors in the bathroom, replace the toilet paper and scrub the toilets if necessary” and also “Vacuum and Empty the garbage. Wipe down the glass front doors, every night, even if they don’t really need it. It was all part of the job, done after your shift has ended but without overtime pay” (Joseph Williams). The research shows people with higher position jobs take advantage of the low-wage workers. They recognize the low-wage employees need the job to survive and are less likely to quit the job. Therefore, they can force the low-wage employees to perform extra labor. Also, the management has problem trusting low-wage workers. Williams explains how the security “pats the retail workers down” and checks their “bottom of the backpack” before they leave the store for breaks (Williams). The managements recognize the low-wage salary can’t afford other things than paying for lodging and food, so they believe the employees will likely to steal from their work. Also, in down and out in London and Paris, George Orwell goes through same unfair labor practices and lack of trust when working as a “ploungers” in Hotel X. After each shifts, the security checked for stolen food, he says “Then he stepped out into the passage, made me take off my coat and carefully prodded me all over, searching for stolen food”
Web. The Web. The Web. 20 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'.
The minimum wage prevents employers from paying wages below a certain level. It is the lowest hourly or daily compensation workers can receive. This also means it is the lowest rate workers can ask for their labor (Smith, 2009). The FLSA mandates employers to adhere to state minimum wage laws that could result in a state minimum wage rate set higher than the federal rate. At present, there are 45 states, along with the District of Columbia, that established their own minimum wage laws. Of those that do have their own minimum wage laws, 18 are at a higher rate than the current federal minimum. Five states do not have minimum wage laws established for their labor force, and therefore depend on the FLSA. (Wilson, 2012).
The Web. The Web. 21 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Siegel, Jason.
Fast-food workers have been protesting for a minimum wage of $15 dollars an hour and the freedom to unionize. The workers have organized numerous protests this year. During the protests they have walked out and chanted slogans regarding their pay. The main fast-food companies that are effected is McDonald's and Burger King. They both have stated that they will not press charges and indeed are allowing the workers to return. These workers that are participating in the strike doesn’t represent the majority of the fast-food employees. The people participating in the strike are not only youths but adults and elders as well. Due to the countries low employment rate many of these workers are supporting a family or other dependents. This is where most of the fast-food workers are getting their motivation to protest this industry. Unfortunately, many Americans are questioning the negative economic effects of their proposed wage and their lack of worthiness to receive that big of a pay raise. However, I believe that with some adjustment and research we can find a way to make everyone happy. My solution advises that we support Obama’s nine dollars an hour minimum wage proposal. It will give the fast-food workers financial support, release the burden of the taxpayer’s assistance, and keep inflation balanced.
Fairchild, Caroline. "Errors in McDonald's Wage Analysis." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 July 2013. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Berfield, Susan. "Fast-Food Wages Come With a $7 Billion Side of Public Assistance." BloombergBusiness. N.p., 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
"Fast Food Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. Pew Research Center, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 May 2014.
Nowadays, most women remain unaware that their employers underpay them. Women cannot argue for higher wages if they do not know they earn less than their male equivalents. Each employee sharing their salary will allow women to detect if they are earning less than their male colleagues with little difficulty. This will give women the tools needed to argue for a higher pay rate, and will help lower the wage gap. If a female worker goes to her boss with statistical evidence that she earns less than her male associates, the chances that her boss will award her a higher salary significantly increase. The law will make it almost impossible for companies to pay their male workers more than their female workers (Glynn para. 7). Furthermore, a law requiring employees to share their salaries will bring to light other forms of wage discrimination. The wage gap not only represents gender discrimination in the workplace, it also reflects the ongoing issue of racial discrimination. While white women do typically earn less than white men, they out earn the majority of female colored workers in America. The average African American female makes only 64 cents for the white man’s dollar. Additionally, Hispanic women receive only 54 cents to their white male coworker’s dollar (Hegewisch para. 9). If women of color become aware of how little they earn compared to
Seventy percent of women might not think they are discriminated in the workplace, but remaining thirty percent are discriminated against in the workplace by wage (Bryce par. 1). Some women might think they don’t feel like they are discriminated by employer because they make a high salary and satisfy their role when compare to lower wage people. The federal law of The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits against wage discrimination based on sex. Despite that law, women’s average earning is 78 cents when men earn a dollar (“Paycheck” par.1-2). Although the wage gap between women and men is reduced, it shows that the progress is still slow. The same credentials, full-time in the field, such as men, women must still work all around year for less money. According to bureau of labor statistic show the women who worked as full time median salary jobs had usual $719 for the
"Study: 38 Percent of Private Employers Will Cut Workers If Minimum Wage Is Raised." Fox News. FOX News Network, 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 May 2014.
Web. The Web. The Web. 28 Mar. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'.
The price needs not only to be affordable, but to be worth the time and effort that goes into preparing a meal. This is why fast food prices remain so low, and accessible to all social classes. Different groups have been impacted by the formation and rapid growth of the fast food industry- altering our ever-changing relationship to the things we eat. The industry places a disproportionate burden on poor and immigrant families, who are more likely to be working for minimum wage at fast food restaurants and cannot afford healthier prepared meals. This results is a disproportionate effect on the health of low-income people. Specific social groups that are affected include immigrants, women, and low-skilled workers (Talwar, 2002, 88). Poor families are also less likely to have the time to cook meals, as they will need to work longer hours, or even multiple jobs. For these reasons, fast food becomes a main dietary component rather than a treat or supplement when in a hurry. The convenience and low cost may appear to benefit the working class, but the health effects make it clear this isn’t so. “Becoming modern, it turns out, is not simply adding on new items of behavior, and when societies change, they rarely instruct those that are changing about the things they may be losing” (Wilk, 2006,
The fast food industry in America has many drawbacks at the cost of supplying food to the American population. Since many people are ignorant of the process their food goes through in order to become the edible meal they consume, American companies easily take advantage of them. In class, we discussed a “Food Bill of Rights”. I believe that this is necessary in order to keep the food industry safe for the American public and environment. The main focus of my “Food Bill of Rights” is to ensure the fast food industry has the American population’s best interest in mind when producing their food.