Each year, workers lose tens of billions of pay they’ve earned when employers violate minimum wage requirements, fail to pay breaks and overtime, withhold paychecks, or push workers to work off the clock. These practices are all wage theft, impacting millions of workers every year, particularly low-wage workers. It is so pervasive that one study estimates wage theft costs low-wage workers as much as 10% of the pay they’ve earned.
In Washington state alone, it’s estimated more than $600 million is stolen from workers each year. Some of that money is recovered for workers; bikini baristas recently won a $1.8 million judgement in a lawsuit over pay violations, with a separate, pending lawsuit launched by the state attorney general against the same employer. Workers at Rivas Painting, who report being fired for organizing with the Painters union, won a settlement through Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards for alleged violations of the city’s paid leave ordinances.
But wage theft is profoundly underreported; the true scale of lost pay is likely higher than studies indicate. There are many reasons workers may be scared to come forward. And recovery of wages through lawsuits can be costly and time-consuming. Meanwhile, working people pay the price.
That’s why the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (WSLC) plans to advocate for legislation to deter wage theft and make sure workers get the pay they’ve earned in the upcoming 2027 legislative session.
To prepare, the WSLC is asking working people to share their experiences with wage theft, so decision-makers in Olympia can hear real peoples’ stories.
If you, a coworker, or a loved one have experienced wage theft, consider filling out the WSLC’s survey.
