Low-Wage Workers Are Often Cheated, Study Says

Written January 8, 2010 - Roger R. Carter 
By Steven Greenhouse
 
According to a new study conducted in the first half of 2008 by the National Employment Law Project focused on workers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage. The breakdown of those surveyed was 39% illegal immigrants, 31% legal immigrants and 30% native-born Americans. In surveying various low-wage industries, it was found that the typical worker would experience approximately 15% loss in pay per week due to wage violations.

Following are more statistics highlighted within the study:

• Many small businesses feel forced to violate
  wage laws to remain competitive.
• 68% of workers interviewed had experienced at
  least one pay-related violation the previous work week.
• Only 8% of workers injured on the job filed for
  workers’ compensation, due to employers pressuring workers not to file.
• 26% of the workers surveyed had been paid less
  than the minimum wage the week before being surveyed and 1 in 7 had worked off
  the clock.
• 76% of those who had worked overtimes the week
  before were not paid their proper overtime.
• 1 in 5 workers reported having filed a complaint
  about wages to their employer or tried to form a union in the previous year and
  43% had experienced some form of illegal retaliation, like firing or
  suspension.

Take a look at the following article to read the NELP Study: Broken Laws
Report 2009 in depth!