Wage theft in America : why millions of working Americans are not getting paid--and what we can do about it / Kim Bobo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bobo, Kimberley A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wages--United States.

Wages.

United States.

Unfair labor practices--United States.

Unfair labor practices.

Employee rights--United States.

Employee rights.

Physical Description:

xiv, 314 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton & Co., [2009]

Summary:

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. The scope of these abuses is as staggering as it is wrong-paying employees far less than the legal minimum wage, purposefully misclassifying employees as independent contractors, and illegally denying workers overtime pay. But now people are starting to take notice. Nationally recognized labor activist Kim Bobo's Wage Theft in America is an incisive handbook for organizers, workers, and concerned citizens on how to prevent the flagrant exploitation of America's working people. Offering a sweeping analysis of the crisis and providing concrete solutions, with special attention to what the new presidential administration must do, Wage Theft in America addresses one of the most egregious and unfair practices affecting workers today.

Contents:

Part I Wage Theft

1 The Crisis of Wage Theft 3

2 How Employers Steal Wages 23

3 Why Employers Steal Wages 42

4 How U.S. Labor Laws Fail Workers 55

Part II Vehicles for Stopping Wage Theft

5 Organizing to Stop Wage Theft: Why Unions Matter 73

6 Workers Centers: Front Lines against Wage Theft 88

Part III Strengthening the Department of Labor

7 The Department of Labor-More Important than Ever 107

8 Frances Perkins: More than a Building 133

9 Punishing Wage Theft and Rewarding Leaders 144

10 A New Vision for the Department of Labor 161

Part IV What You Can Do to Stop Wage Theft

11 Stopping Wage Theft Is Good for America 193

12 You Can Make a Difference 206

Appendix A Department of Labor Wage and Hour Settlements 225

Appendix B Private Wage and Hour Lawsuits 259

Appendix C Catholic Labor Schools 266

Appendix D Workers Centers and Legal Clinics 270

Appendix E Faith Body Positions on Wages and Working Conditions 277

Appendix F National Organizations Fighting Wage Theft 287

Appendix G Congregational Study Guide for Wage Theft in America 294.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [301]-314).

ISBN:

9781595584458

1595584455

OCLC:

244695404