What you can do about wage-theft; some ideas…

• • 43 minutes ago · 2 · Like · Comment

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  Alan L. Maki

  Stop wage theft... here is a good example of what you can do. This comes from friends in Grand Rapids, Michigan:

  19 minutes ago · Like · Comment

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      Alan L. Maki

      MICAH REQUEST OF MAYOR GEORGE HEARTWELL WHEREAS, Thursday, November 18 is the National Day of Action against Wage Theft; and WHEREAS, Wage theft is the pervasive and illegal practice of not paying workers for all of their work; andWHEREAS, Forcing workers to work off the clock and misclassifying workers as independent contractors when they are really employees, robs workers of legally earned wages and deprives governments of needed tax revenues; and WHEREAS, Cities around the country are identifying wage theft as a serious issue and are highlighting the ongoing crisis of wage theft and ways that workers and communities are organizing to stop it; and WHEREAS, Honest businesses that pay workers legally and fairly and pay all their taxes as required are undercut by businesses that steal from workers and don't pay taxes and insurances as required; THEREFORE THE MICAH CENTER calls on George Heartwell, Mayor of Grand Rapids to form a task force that explores existing forms of wage theft in Grand Rapids and to identify those changes that must be made to ensure that workers receive the wages and benefits to which they are legally entitled. DATED THIS 18th DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2010.

      19 minutes ago · Like · 1 person

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      John Hollingsworth there's a much much better approach to this problem, alan (not that this hurts).

      10 minutes ago · Like

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      Alan L. Maki John... go ahead and present your idea.

      8 minutes ago · Like

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      John Hollingsworth

      Here in Ottawa, this is one thing the IWW's gotten down to a science. Investigate, document/substantiate, negotiate and when they balk at coughing up, you represent full force in front of their retail or restaurant storefront, and shut themdown with a picket and leafleting session. You time your "final offer" meeting to happen right before their lunch or dinner rush (if a restaurant) or evening rush (for a bar), and if they balk, you call up your picket and hit it quick and hard.
      The longest it ever took for us to win a case (and we've won all of them) was 1 hour for a $2,500 settlement on back pay.

      5 minutes ago · Like

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      Alan L. Maki John, you should post this on the AFL-CIO facebook page on their wage-theft comment; great idea!!! Thanks.