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Are employers taking advantage of low-wage workers?

Posted on Sep 24, 2009

A recent study funded by the Joyce, Haynes, Ford and Russell Sage foundations reveals that low wage workers are often the victims of the dishonest practices of their employers. These workers often perform the most menial and distasteful work, and are rewarded for their efforts by being paid less than they deserve and taken advantage of in other ways.

The study revealed that low-wage urban workers earn about $339 a week and are cheated out of $51 of that amount by their employers. Employers commit a variety of frauds, including paying their workers under minimum wage, making workers perform work off-the-clock, not paying overtime pay and denying workers’ compensation claims.

Low wage workers deserve the protections afforded by workers’ compensation just as much as higher-paid employees. Employers who take advantage of low-wage earners to avoid pay fair wages, overtime or workers’ comp premiums and benefits deserve to be held accountable for their actions.

The study went on to point out that foreign workers and those working for small companies – those with less than 100 employees – or workers in private households were taken advantage of by their employers more often than employees of larger companies. Illegal immigrants fared the worst, and were the most likely to suffer at the hands of a dishonest employer.