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Economists estimate that wage theft costs California workers $2 billion a year in lost wages.
In 2021, nearly 19,000 workers filed wage claims with the state, alleging wage theft totaling over $338 million. These workers say employers failed to pay them for work they performed, didn’t pay them the minimum wage, prevented them from taking meal or rest breaks, didn’t pay them their tips, or misclassified them as contract workers. Yet just over 10% of workers recover their wages.
In the full article, journalist Sarah Jackson documents the problem of wage theft and introduces the people fighting back. A growing network of worker centers throughout California is taking a strategic approach to tackle the issue and ensure workers are paid for their work. Workers who belong to these organizations tell their stories of speaking up and describe the toll wage theft has taken on them and their families.