Florida Workers Fight Back Against Wage Theft
Posted April 30, 2013 07:24 am
GAINESVILLE,
FL - Across the state, Florida workers say they are
being denied pay or being asked to work off the clock by
their employers. Currently, state lawmakers are
considering a "wage-theft" bill, but it would require
that any cases be filed in court.
Melissa Elliott is one of an estimated 1800 victims of wage theft in Alachua County alone. Last year she worked for tips only, at the request of a downtown Gainesville restaurant. She estimates losing at least $8000 in income, in addition to the issues she had with filing her taxes properly and being eligible for the accurate amount of unemployment benefits when she was laid off.
"I knew I wasn't getting paid everything, but at
least I was making something," Elliott said. "I
eventually lost my job there because I was asking a lot
of questions and I wanted to be paid, and I put my foot
down and I got dismissed."
Earlier this month, Alachua County passed a
wage-recovery ordinance which provides a mediation
system for employees who feel they were denied pay by
their employers. Late last week the Florida House passed
its own version of a wage-theft bill (HB 1125) which
would supersede any local laws. Groups such as the
Florida AFL-CIO oppose that state measure because it
requires cases to be filed in court. That forces workers
to pay attorney fees and court costs, which the unions
say would make the process cost-prohibitive and
confusing.
Jeremiah Tattersall, the director of the Alachua County
Wage Theft Task Force, calls wage theft a "silent
epidemic" that's taking place across the state. He said
recent legislation being pushed in Tallahassee is
working against the power of local governments and their
desire to protect their citizens.
"There does seem to be a trend that Tallahassee is where
local governments go to die in 2013," he charged. "You
have pre-emption of wage theft, pre-emption of living
wage, pre-emption of sick leave."
Tattersall referred to House Bill 655, which would
overrule any city or county laws about requiring a
living wage or paid sick leave for its contractors.
Melissa Elliott now works as a saucier at another
downtown Gainesville restaurant and said her current
employer pays and treats her fairly.
"When I started my new job, the one I have now, I was
almost hesitant to go above and beyond like I normally
did, because I had spent the last year being horribly
taken advantage of," she recalled.
Elliott said she now is thriving in her work environment
and plans to attend culinary school to become a chef.
Miami-Dade was the first county in the nation to adopt a
wage-theft law. Close to $1 million in lost wages has
been recovered under their law by the U.S. Department of
Labor.
Photo: California Labor Federation