San Francisco Chronicle: 'Wage theft' routine in Chinatown

[marmar]

Chinatown restaurants routinely pay workers less than the minimum wage, according to a study by local activists that brings the national trend of so-called wage theft home to San Francisco.

The 30-page report being released today by the Chinese Progressive Association culminates a two-year survey of about 400 workers - more than half of whom said they were being paid less than the San Francisco minimum wage, currently $9.79 per hour.

"We believe this is the largest study of its kind in the country," said Meredith Minkler, a UC Berkeley public health expert who helped train workers from Chinatown to survey their peers to penetrate the language barrier.

The reported prevalence of minimum-wage avoidance among Chinatown restaurants goes well beyond the 26 percent rate that was reported in similar, earlier surveys of low-wage workers in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York that helped establish the concept of wage theft - the nonpayment by employers of legally required pay or benefits.

State and federal officials who enforce labor laws say they have no idea how often employers avoid the state minimum of $8 per hour, or the national standard of $7.25 per hour. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/17/BU5E1FF0Q5.DTL#ixzz0zp8Kalmv

[NMMNG]

1. Meanwhile

Conservatives insist less regulation is the key because employers, left to their own devices, will "do the right thing". :eyes: