Enforcing the Minimum Wage

Home
A Stronger Minimum Wage
Laws and Stats
News & Blogs
The States
Enforcement
Supporting: Articles
Supporting: Research
Opposing: Articles
Opposing: Research
Youth, Tip, and Small Bus.Wages
Around the World
Immigration
Living Wage
Indexing
Religion
Books
About Site

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

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. 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 

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

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. 

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 

Two 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.

Department is Criticized on Disputes over Wages. The New York Times

Government Accountability Office reports on the Labor Department Wage and Hour Division's recent mishandling of overtime and wage cases and their failure to pursue as many enforcement actions as they had previously. July 2008

Three enforcement investigations in New York City, covered by Steven Greenhouse for The New York Times. 2008

Arkansas: Migrants Win $2.75 million. New York Times

A settlement for 2,200 guest workers. February 2010

Wal-Mart tries out a new wage in Mexico: $0 an hour! thedailyinterests.blogspot.com

The teen-age boys  who bag groceries at Wal-marts in Mexico and receive no wages--only tips.  August 2007

National Employment Law Project (NELP)

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

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