THREAD: What is wage theft, why is it an epidemic in Illinois, and how will I stop it? #twill
1/ "Wage theft" is when an employer fails to pay an employee wages that they're owed. For example, if your employer doesn't pay you overtime that you worked, that's wage theft.
2/ It's also wage theft when an employer doesn't pay the minimum wage or doesn't give you vacation pay that you're entitled to. Wage theft also occurs when an employer calls you an "independent contractor" when you're not.
3/ In Illinois, there is a wage theft epidemic. Since 2014, $50 million in illegally denied wages were reported to the state. Employers are engaging in so much wage theft because our state isn't enforcing the law.
4/ In fact, the state is making it harder for employees to recoup the wages that they're owed. The system is complex by design, which favors employers over workers. Check out this form: illinois.gov/idol/forms/Doc…
5/ It's really complicated, and puts the burden on the worker to serve documents on their employer. Can you imagine someone like my dad, a cashier at Walmart, filling out this form? Can you imagine someone who doesn't speak English as their first language trying to fill it out?
6/ It's no surprise that only one in four workers receive the wages their owed within a year. To make matters worse, 60 percent of wage theft claims are dismissed and no records are kept of dismissals, so we can't track which companies are repeat offenders.
7/ When I'm Illinois Attorney General, I'll launch a top-down review of the wage theft epidemic, including the systems and processes in place in the Illinois Department of Labor, to evaluate and enforce wage theft claims.
8/ We need a system that swiftly gets workers the wages they're owed, and ensures that we take action against businesses that repeatedly deny workers the wage they're owed.
9/ This is an issue that hasn't received enough attention, but when I'm Attorney General, it will be a top priority of my office. #twill #Renato4AG Tomorrow I'll do a question and answer session on wage theft here on Twitter. Reply to this thread with any questions you have.
10/ Please visit renatomariotti.com to learn more about our campaign and join our grassroots movement, and sign this petition to protest the wage theft epidemic: renatomariotti.com/wage-theft-pet… /end
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