Day Laborer Wage Concerns Highlighted In New Study

Forty-nine percent of day
laborers polled for a new study said that an employer denied wages for work
they completed in the previous two months. In the study, “On the Corner: Day
Labor in the United States,”
48 percent of day laborers said that an employer underpaid them during the same
time period; 44 percent said an employer denied them food, water, and breaks;
and 28 percent said that an employer insulted or threatened them. The study is
the first nationwide examination of day laborers and was produced by
researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles,
the University of Illinois at Chicago, and The New School University in
New York City.
The researchers surveyed 2,660 day laborers at 264 hiring sites in 20 states and
the District of Columbia.
“Coming into the study, we knew that the low-wage market is rife with
violations of basic labor standards, but we still found the statistics shocking
and disturbing,” said Nik Theodore, one of the study’s authors.

The HR Management & Compliance Report: How To Comply with California Wage & Hour Law, explains everything you need to know to stay in compliance with the state’s complex and ever-changing rules, laws, and regulations in this area. Coverage on bonuses, meal and rest breaks, overtime, alternative workweeks, final paychecks, and more.