This is putting it lightly. By some estimates, it’s larger than every other form of theft combined. Literally over 51% of all theft.
It isn’t all as blatant as this, but it still happens. Timesheets getting subtlety adjusted/rounded in the employer’s favor. Not paying for breaks when they’re legally required to. Requiring employees to work through breaks, while still requiring them to clock out. Requiring employees to show up 15 minutes prior to their shift, to do a morning huddle before everyone clocks in. Mandating what employees can/can’t do during their breaks. Not properly paying for on-call time, or saying someone was only on-call when they should’ve been fully clocked in. Not paying overtime, or telling non-exempt employees that they’re exempt from OT.
The list goes on and on. When people complain about a lack of prosecution for white-collar crime, this is exactly what they’re referring to. Steal a $2 candy bar from a store, and you potentially face criminal prosecution. That same store codifies a procedure that steals $2 from every employee every time they clock in, netting the company millions of dollars throughout the course of the year? The company maybe gets a fine that is less than what it made via the theft, and the employees don’t even get back the full amount that they’re owed.
Many, many reasons why employers hate unions, right here. It’s not impossible for employers to commit wage theft with a union but it’s a hell of a lot more difficult if the union is keeping an eye on things.
My first job was as a seasonal delivery helper for UPS during the holidays. We would work crazy days, 8 am to 8 pm usually. We wouldn’t even stop for lunch, I would take bites of food I had brought between stops. I figured that was just the way things were, never had a job before that.
When I saw my paycheck, I noticed they were taking out time for both lunch breaks and other breaks that were required by law. I never took a single one of those breaks, because the driver I worked with didn’t. I felt powerless to complain, because I really needed a job, but looking back it pisses me off to no end. That was blatant theft of my time.
This is putting it lightly. By some estimates, it’s larger than every other form of theft combined. Literally over 51% of all theft.
It isn’t all as blatant as this, but it still happens. Timesheets getting subtlety adjusted/rounded in the employer’s favor. Not paying for breaks when they’re legally required to. Requiring employees to work through breaks, while still requiring them to clock out. Requiring employees to show up 15 minutes prior to their shift, to do a morning huddle before everyone clocks in. Mandating what employees can/can’t do during their breaks. Not properly paying for on-call time, or saying someone was only on-call when they should’ve been fully clocked in. Not paying overtime, or telling non-exempt employees that they’re exempt from OT.
The list goes on and on. When people complain about a lack of prosecution for white-collar crime, this is exactly what they’re referring to. Steal a $2 candy bar from a store, and you potentially face criminal prosecution. That same store codifies a procedure that steals $2 from every employee every time they clock in, netting the company millions of dollars throughout the course of the year? The company maybe gets a fine that is less than what it made via the theft, and the employees don’t even get back the full amount that they’re owed.
Many, many reasons why employers hate unions, right here. It’s not impossible for employers to commit wage theft with a union but it’s a hell of a lot more difficult if the union is keeping an eye on things.
My first job was as a seasonal delivery helper for UPS during the holidays. We would work crazy days, 8 am to 8 pm usually. We wouldn’t even stop for lunch, I would take bites of food I had brought between stops. I figured that was just the way things were, never had a job before that.
When I saw my paycheck, I noticed they were taking out time for both lunch breaks and other breaks that were required by law. I never took a single one of those breaks, because the driver I worked with didn’t. I felt powerless to complain, because I really needed a job, but looking back it pisses me off to no end. That was blatant theft of my time.
Yeah, it’s estimated that each individual loses anywhere from $200-$2000 per year to wage theft. It’s absolutely rampant.