Are you a wage thief? Are you a victim of wage theft? If so, do you need a theft class? Does your employer need a theft class? Wage thievery is in virtually epidemic proportions in the United States and around the globe!

Wage thievery is when employees are not paid what they are owed.

Wage theft, or the illegal underpayment of workers, has become so widespread, it affects millions of workers across the country. This according to the Huffington Post. Industries where is exceptionally bad include retail, restaurants, hospitality, day-labor, warehousing, child care, and construction.

Just the Facts

Here is the reality - 64% of low-wage workers experience wage theft each week and another 26% are paid under the legal minimum wage. Throw in the possibility that 76% of workers who are owed overtime go unpaid or underpaid for those hours

On average, low-wage workers lose 15% of their income each year to wage theft - $51 per week, or $2,634 per year

Added up across the nation, this amounts to billions of dollars in earnings stolen from people who can least afford to lose it. In New York State alone, workers' losses are estimated at $3 billion per year, and wage theft costs the state $427 million per year in uncollected revenues.

This certainly has an effect on consumer spending. Don’t you think?

State laws and labor departments help keep employers honest. This is one of the reasons minimum wage laws were implemented.

A recent study showed the 44 out of 50 states would fail one of the major tests to curbing wager theft. New York passed a law in 2010 that is now the strongest in the country. Illinois, California, and Massachusetts have also developed strong and innovative policies to help workers reclaim their wages and convince employers to abandon wage theft. But far too many states have done little to nothing at all.

Wage theft is just like any other form of stealing – it is wrong. States should mandate theft classes for employers found stealing from their employees.