1. Wage theft as a neglected public health problem: an overview and case study from San Francisco's Chinatown District.
- Author
-
Minkler, Meredith, Salvatore, Alicia L, Chang, Charlotte, Gaydos, Megan, Liu, Shaw San, Lee, Pam Tau, Tom, Alex, Bhatia, Rajiv, and Krause, Niklas
- Subjects
Decent Work and Economic Growth ,Good Health and Well Being ,Adult ,China ,Community-Based Participatory Research ,Emigrants and Immigrants ,Female ,Humans ,Male ,Middle Aged ,Public Health ,Restaurants ,Salaries and Fringe Benefits ,San Francisco ,Theft ,Workforce ,Young Adult ,Medical and Health Sciences - Abstract
Wage theft, or nonpayment of wages to which workers are legally entitled, is a major contributor to low income, which in turn has adverse health effects. We describe a participatory research study of wage theft among immigrant Chinatown restaurant workers. We conducted surveys of 433 workers, and developed and used a health department observational tool in 106 restaurants. Close to 60% of workers reported 1 or more forms of wage theft (e.g., receiving less than minimum wage [50%], no overtime pay [> 65%], and pay deductions when sick [42%]). Almost two thirds of restaurants lacked required minimum wage law signage. We discuss the dissemination and use of findings to help secure and enforce a wage theft ordinance, along with implications for practice.
- Published
- 2014