Low Wage Workers Are Not Paid What They Earned
.png)
In a recent survey, over half of low wage workers were found to not be receiving as much pay as they have earned. According to a study by the National Employment Law Project, the average worker lost $58 per week in unpaid wages. About one-fifth of workers were not paid the prevailing minimum wage, but that amount varied by industry. 53% of laundry workers to 2% of construction workers ere not paid the minimum wage. The survey focused on New York, which has a high rate of union activity in the construction trades.
Even more common was the failure to pay overtime wages (1.5 times the hourly wage) to workers. About one-fourth were not paid their normal hourly wage or simply not paid overtime at all, said the report. The survey included some undocumented workers. The survey estimated that some 315,00 workers in New York are not paid what they earned.
