Podcast: Why Wage Theft Trend Cannot Be Ignored

Hosted by: David Weisenfeld

Wage theft claims have ensnared an increasing number of US employers. A recent Department of Labor report says workers in California and New York alone lost between $20 million and $29 million in weekly income stemming from employer wage theft.

In this podcast, XpertHR Legal Editor Michael Cardman discusses this troubling trend and steps well-intentioned employers can take to avoid a lawsuit. Cardman notes that the term "wage theft" encompasses a wide variety of labor violations including:

  • Minimum wage;
  • Working time and overtime;
  • Meal breaks;
  • Employee classification; and
  • Pay deductions.

Podcast: Why Wage Theft Trend Cannot Be Ignored

January 6, 2015

Cardman cautions employers that a number of jurisdictions, such as Miami-Dade County, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC have wage theft prevention laws to root out violations.

He advises that HR should ensure their employer is properly counting all hours worked and take a close look at how the organization is compensating employees. Cardman adds that smart phones and other new technology also can trip up an unwary employer.