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  Memphis Workers Report High Levels of Wage Theft in Survey

   In October 2009, Workers Interfaith Network (WIN) conducted a survey of 141
   low-wage workers in the greater Memphis area. Workers were approached at
   social service agencies and other gathering places where low-wage workers are
   likely to be, such as the downtown MATA terminal. Workers were asked questions
   about whether they had experienced various forms of unpaid wages in their work,
   as well as some basic demographic information. While WIN acknowledges that
   this survey is anecdotal rather than scientific, it does reveal that wage theft is quite
   common among the workers that we spoke with.

   Sixty-six percent reported they had personally experienced some form of wage theft,
   (not being paid what the law requires for all the hours they worked).

·         Thirty-eight percent had not received a final paycheck from an employer.

·         Thirty-five percent had experienced either unpaid overtime or had been paid for
  fewer hours than they worked.

·         Twenty-eight percent reported regularly working through lunch hours and
  breaks without being paid for it.

·         Twenty-three percent had been paid below the legal minimum wage.

·         Twenty-three percent reported an employer changing their timesheets
   to show fewer hours worked.

·         Nineteen percent had an employer keep tips given by customers for them.

  Who took the survey?

  Forty-seven percent of respondents were African-American. Forty-five percent were Latinos.
  The remaining 8 percent were another race or did not report a race.

   Fifty-four percent were men. Thirty-eight percent were women. The remaining 8 percent
   did not report a gender.

  Did race make a difference in the experience of wage theft?

   Latinos and African-Americans reported similar overall levels of wage theft, but there
   was some difference in which types of wage theft were most common in each group.

    Sixty-five percent of African-Americans reported some form of wage theft.
    Unpaid overtime or being paid for fewer hours than were worked were the most common
    forms of wage theft reported among African-Americans.

    Sixty-seven percent of Latinos reported experiencing some form of wage theft.
    Not being paid a final paycheck was the most common form of wage theft reported by Latinos. 

    Learn more about wage theft.