Enforcing the Minimum Wage

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The Minimum Wage: Information, Opinion, Research

Cracking Down on Wage Law Violations. Nathan Newman

An overview of wage violations and enforcement strategies from www.progressivestates.org, April 2006.

Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers; Violation of Employment and Labor Laws in America's Cities. Annette Bernhardt et al

A major study of low-wage workers in three American cities  uncovers sweeping violations. September 2009

Winning Wage Justice: An Advocate's Guide to State and City Policies to Fight Wage Theft. National Employment Law Project

Even a newcomer to minimum wage issues will learn much from this well written guide to the legal aspects of reducing rampant minimum wage and overtime violations. Among those: raising the cost of violations for the employer, making government agencies more effective, protecting workers from retaliation, and ending the exclusion of groups of workers from minimum wage and overtime standards.  January 2011

Index to regulation guides, by occupation. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

An index of about 200 "facts sheets" on the application of federal labor law, including minimum wage requirements, to specific occupations and employment categories, including "Undocumented Immigrant Workers."

From the U.S. Department of Labor

Can My Boss Do That?

Guidance for workers about regulations concerning getting hired and fired, work safety, and work rules as well as wages and other topics. With links to relevant state and local resources.

National Employment Law Project (NELP)

Advocacy for the working poor and unemployed.  The site includes reports on wage enforcement policies and practices.

Examples of workplace posters explaining basic minimum wage law.

Alaska Wage Claim Form

An example of the paperwork for claiming a wage violation: the 12-page filing instructions and form for employees in Alaska.

Minimum-Wage Enforcement and the Low-Wage Labor Market. Howard Wial

This 1999 report describes the workings and the problems of enforcement at the federal level. 

Stuck on the 'Low Road': Restaurant Workers Speak Out in New Landmark Series. Working In These Times

An article on a report about widespread wage violations and discrimination in restaurants in Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans and Portland, Maine. February 2010

The report from the National Employment Law Project cites an average of $3000 per year per low-wage worker lost through minimum wage and overtime violations.  January 2010

U.S. Is Investigating Wages Among Residential Builders. The New York Times

The reaction includes debate about whether the call for documentation is "over-regulation" or simply "enforcement." September 2011

U.S. Department of Labor's proposed 2011 budget reflects an increased emphasis on enforcement. Morgan Lewis

New emphases on repeat offenders and excessive use of "independent contractor" classification are noted. February 2010 

Pay Workers Fairly and Save Money. The New York Times

Require companies receiving federal contracts to certify that their workers are paid according to the law. July 2011

New York State Labor Department Initiative Empowers Ordinary People to Fight Against Wage Theft.

New York State announces its Wage Watch program, pilot partnerships with community groups to educate workers about wage rights and to refer violations. January 2009 

Arkansas: Migrants Win $2.75 million. New York Times

A settlement for 2,200 guest workers. February 2010

See also the page on "Immigration and the Minimum Wage."
 
For a history of federal minimum wage violations and enforcement, see Willis Nordlund's The Quest for a Living Wage: The History of the Federal Minimum Wage Program (Greenwood Press, 1997).

The Minimum Wage: Information, Opinion, Research