Jared Bernstein, of the New York Times, writes about cost-of-living discrepancies between and within various states in this country and why standardizing a minimum wage might not be as effective in one state as it is in another. He suggests that local wage authorization might be a better method of ensuring that people can live off of their wages.
A Minimum Wage That Makes Sense
Wage Theft
Rachel Adams, of the New York Times, writes about the New York District Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s, support of a bill against the use of ATM cards to pay employees.
“But consumer advocates say that [the costs employers are avoiding via ATM Cards] are often passed on to employees, who are charged a few cents to several dollars for everything from checking the balance on a card to inactivity. The small amounts can quickly take a large bite from a small paycheck.”
New York Attorney General Supports a Bill Regulating Payroll Cards
Emily Alpert Reyes, of the LA Times, reports on how members of the Los Angeles City Council are working on a bill to impose penalties on employers who steal wages from their workers.
“Los Angeles is really the wage-theft capital of the country,” said Tia Koonse, legal and policy research manager at the UCLA Labor Center. “Workers are simply afraid to come forward.”
L.A. Councilmen Push for Ordinance to Crack Down on Wage Theft.”
http://www.latimes.com/local/crime/la-me-wage-theft-20140625-story.html
Emily Jane Fox, of CNN, describes the class action lawsuit that McDonald’s workers in California and Michigan are taking against McDonalds for cheating them out of wages for overtime among other offenses.
“The median pay for the fast food workers nationwide stands at just more than $9 an hour, or about $18,500 a year. That’s roughly $4,500 lower than Census Bureau’s poverty income threshold level of $23,000 for a family of four.”
McDonald’s Workers Sue for Wage Theft
http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/13/news/companies/mcdonalds-wage-theft-class-action/
