Imagine having to clock out mid-shift to prevent getting paid overtime, but not leaving for another hour or two. Having to punch out for break but work through it, or having a paid vacation taken away as if it never existed? Situations relative to these are reality and are classified as wage theft, defined by the wage theft website as “a variety of infractions that occur when workers do not receive their legally or contractually promised wages” (Wage Theft). The public is generally uneducated of the concept of wage theft and the effects it has on our society, let alone what can be done about it. The Wage Theft Prevention Act, an act established in 2011 by the state of New York, provides laws protecting working citizens, and is an act that should be effective nationwide. As a country, we support the terms “freedom”, “equality”, and “rights”; however, we need to focus on the working citizens of the United States and ensure equal rights for everyone.
The wage theft website indicates that wage theft is not stereotypical, and the issue is not primarily in specific work fields. No worker can particularly avoid wage theft, whether good wages or great benefits. Wage theft is more likely to occur in non-union workplaces. Industries including agriculture, janitorial services, retail, and restaurant work are among many of the most reported cases involving wage theft. Wage theft includes but is not limited to: not paying for all hours worked or not paying overtime, not paying minimum wage or not paying at all. Incidents classified as wage theft most often violate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which provides a federal minimum wage but allows states to set their own minimum wage increased from the federal, and requires employers to pay...
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The invisible workforce consists of the low-wage workers that face harsh working conditions, a few or no benefits, and long hours of labor that exceed the regular business week. Barbara Ehrenreich, narrates her experience of entering the service workforce, in the book Nickel and Dimed. She proves that getting by in America working a minimum wage job is impossible. Although, the book was written in the 1990’s, the conditions in which minimum wage workers lived still prevail today. Minimum wage no longer serves its original purpose of providing a living wage for the invisible workforce.
Labor’s rights, this issue have been bothering many worker since the 19th century and can still be a problem today. As John L. Lewis has said in his speech “I repeat that labor seeks peace and guarantees its own loyalty, but the voice of labor, insistent upon its rights, should not be annoying to the ears of justice or offensive to the conscience of the American people” (John L. Lewis), which under his words meant that labor is something that can be done right and peacefully but it needs rules and benefits that come with those rules which labor asks for and when labor asks for those rules and benefits it shouldn’t be taken like some annoying kid’s demands but more as something that needs to be done and done with a right mind set. Labor today consists of a man or woman going to work, working their hours, and finally getting paid for those hours at the end of the week, at least a minimum of $7.50 an hour (United States Department of Labor), but before it wasn’t like that before many workers would get paid very poorly even thought they would work for a lot of hours and they wouldn’t get benefits from their work or safety when working such as in the mines like the mine workers, but one man stood up for them and his name was John L. Lewis (John Llewellyn Lewis, Encyclopedia).
Presently, workers in the fast food and minimum wage jobs seek respect and an increase in wages as it is a sector of the food industry that is underrepresented by unions. As cost of living increases in cities nationwide and the government subsidizes underpaid employees with welfare funds, organizations such as Real Food Real Workers and the Fight for $15 are demanding a raise in the minimum wage, particularly for food workers. Similarly to the food workers at UNC Chapel Hill, many minimum wage workers in the fast food industry are women and minorities, sectors of the labor pool already marginalized by wage disparity. The Fight for 15 movement has recently gained momentum in raising the minimum wage to $15 in California, New York, Seattle and the District of Columbia, and this year Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and Washington state voted to increase the minimum wage as well. In the 21 states where the minimum wage is still as low as $7.25, s minimum wage increase movement should partner with other organizations from outside labor unions such as women 's rights organizations and organizations similar to the BSM, including mass participation of solidarity with college campuses, to make a substantial statement about their work
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The minimum wage prevents employers from paying wages below a certain level. It is the lowest hourly or daily compensation workers can receive. This also means it is the lowest rate workers can ask for their labor (Smith, 2009). The FLSA mandates employers to adhere to state minimum wage laws that could result in a state minimum wage rate set higher than the federal rate. At present, there are 45 states, along with the District of Columbia, that established their own minimum wage laws. Of those that do have their own minimum wage laws, 18 are at a higher rate than the current federal minimum. Five states do not have minimum wage laws established for their labor force, and therefore depend on the FLSA. (Wilson, 2012).
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Fast-food workers have been protesting for a minimum wage of $15 dollars an hour and the freedom to unionize. The workers have organized numerous protests this year. During the protests they have walked out and chanted slogans regarding their pay. The main fast-food companies that are effected is McDonald's and Burger King. They both have stated that they will not press charges and indeed are allowing the workers to return. These workers that are participating in the strike doesn’t represent the majority of the fast-food employees. The people participating in the strike are not only youths but adults and elders as well. Due to the countries low employment rate many of these workers are supporting a family or other dependents. This is where most of the fast-food workers are getting their motivation to protest this industry. Unfortunately, many Americans are questioning the negative economic effects of their proposed wage and their lack of worthiness to receive that big of a pay raise. However, I believe that with some adjustment and research we can find a way to make everyone happy. My solution advises that we support Obama’s nine dollars an hour minimum wage proposal. It will give the fast-food workers financial support, release the burden of the taxpayer’s assistance, and keep inflation balanced.
Fairchild, Caroline. "Errors in McDonald's Wage Analysis." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 July 2013. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Seventy percent of women might not think they are discriminated in the workplace, but remaining thirty percent are discriminated against in the workplace by wage (Bryce par. 1). Some women might think they don’t feel like they are discriminated by employer because they make a high salary and satisfy their role when compare to lower wage people. The federal law of The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits against wage discrimination based on sex. Despite that law, women’s average earning is 78 cents when men earn a dollar (“Paycheck” par.1-2). Although the wage gap between women and men is reduced, it shows that the progress is still slow. The same credentials, full-time in the field, such as men, women must still work all around year for less money. According to bureau of labor statistic show the women who worked as full time median salary jobs had usual $719 for the
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"Fast Food Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. Pew Research Center, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 May 2014.
"Study: 38 Percent of Private Employers Will Cut Workers If Minimum Wage Is Raised." Fox News. FOX News Network, 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 May 2014.
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The fast food industry in America has many drawbacks at the cost of supplying food to the American population. Since many people are ignorant of the process their food goes through in order to become the edible meal they consume, American companies easily take advantage of them. In class, we discussed a “Food Bill of Rights”. I believe that this is necessary in order to keep the food industry safe for the American public and environment. The main focus of my “Food Bill of Rights” is to ensure the fast food industry has the American population’s best interest in mind when producing their food.