Reporting from the news site Documented finds that workers in the state are seeing millions in lost wages from rampant wage theft, with restaurant workers especially hard hit.
According to an analysis of data from the U.S. and New York Labor departments, investigators found more than 13,000 cases between 2017 and 2021, with losses amounting to $203 million impacting 127,000 workers.
While significant, the figures are likely an undercount, as data from the US Labor Department suggests employers may be taking as much as $1 billion per year from employees.
Restaurant workers saw losses of $52 million, according to the analysis, amounting to 25% of total wages stolen by employers, the most of any industry in the state.
Sources tell Documented that changes in the business landscape, including the introduction of newer technologies and the rise of he so-called gig economy have made it harder to track and address wage theft.
More than 60% of restaurant workers in New York City are immigrants, according to a 2020 study by the New York state comptroller’s office, with 44% of the total Hispanic and 20% Asian.
Read the full story at Documented
Image via Unsplash
