Stolen Wages

Fault Lines investigates wage practices in the restaurant industry, to find out what happens when workers are not paid what they are legally owed.

In September of 2012, close to 20 Miami Beach restaurant workers marched in front of David’s Cafe, a restaurant owned by their former employer, Adrian Gonzalez. Theprotestors each worked at David’s Cafe II prior to its closing in 2011 and were demanding over $70,000 in unpaid wages. After months of little action from authorities, including the Department of Labor and local agencies, they had few options but to take things into their own hands.

This is a scene that is playing out on streets across the United States with increasing frequency, as two-thirds of low wage workers report some form of wage theft every week – whether that means being cheated out of  hours worked, paid less than the minimum wage, or not being paid at all.

One study estimates that low wage workers – over 30 million Americans - lose 15% of their income each year, the restaurant industry being one of the worst offenders. According to the Department of Labor, 84%  of sit-down restaurants inspected in the last three years were in violation of wage laws. Meanwhile, in Washington, the food services industry is an organized and powerful opponent against increased minimum wage and workplace protections, spending millions of dollars each year to lobby against regulations and increased wages.

In this episode, Fault Lines travels to Miami, Chicago, and Washington D.C. to speak with restaurant workers, hear their grievances, and find out what recourse they have when they are not paid what they are owed.