Another Study Confirms Rampant Wage Theft Among Low Wage Workers

A study recently released by the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment examined the frequency of labor and wage abuses against low-wage workers in the Los Angeles area. According to the study, a substantial portion of Los Angeles County workers at the bottom of the labor market are the victims of wage theft and other workplace violations, which on average deprive workers of 12.5 percent of their weekly paycheck. Approximately 88 percent of those surveyed reported at least one instance of being paid less than the minimum wage, working overtime and not being paid for it, working off-the-clock for free, or other pay-based violations during the previous work week. More than 30 percent of those surveyed were being paid less than the legal minimum wage for California, or $8/hour. A complete copy of the study is here.

FLSA Compliance Myths Debunked

This article contains a nice summary of a number of common myths regarding the FLSA's overtime requirements. Among the myths discussed: 1) salaried employees are not eligible for overtime; 2) employees can agree to work overtime without overtime pay; 2) managers and supervisors are not entitled to overtime; and 4) in calculating overtime hours, it is acceptable to average work hours over two weeks.