New York City, NY.- Very early this Friday morning, members of the NICE organization prepared the posters they used in a protest against a restaurant that has not paid its workers their salaries.
“They just gave us bad checks,” said Christian Contreras, who is owed nearly $3,000.
“We are going to have testimonies from the people affected by the case of salary theft, where more than five people from the organization are involved[hesaidforsalarytheftwhohavenotreceivedpaymentatotalof18thousanddollars”saidRosaJerezanactivistwiththeorganizationNICE”Anamountthatisowedgreaterthan18thousanddollarsisbeinghandled”[dijoporrobodesalarioquenohanrecibidoelpagountotalde18mildólares”dijoRosaJerezactivistadelaorganizaciónNICE”Semanejaunacantidadquesedebemayora18mildólares”
Law would make wage theft a crime
That’s why Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz hopes to pass a law that would make wage theft a crime.
“Whoever commits the crime because stealing the salary is going to be a crime is going to have to pay with jail and return the money,” said Catalina Cruz.
This, together with the work with the offices of each county, could end a tactic that leaves millions of dollars in losses and hundreds of hours spent trying to recover them. This, together with the work with the offices of each county, could end a tactic that it leaves millions of dollars in losses and hundreds of hours trying to recover it.
The Attorney General’s office, one of the entities prosecuting these crimes, has recovered more than $23 million in the last three years.
This experience was lived by the assemblywoman herself.
“The owner of the house left and didn’t pay my mom more or less 3 weeks’ salary and we were left without knowing what to do, we spent another 20 years,” Cruz said.
Lawmakers and advocates like Nice have also been pushing the SWEAT bill that would give victims the ability to seize the property of abusive bosses in order to recover their wages.
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