Courtesy | Attorney General Maura Healey's office
Attorney General Maura Healey
May 3, 2021
Healey appeals for wage theft bill’s passage
By State House News Service
Attorney General Maura Healey is again calling for passage of wage theft legislation, part of an appeal that's being coordinated with International Workers' Day on Saturday.
"Employers who commit wage theft steal billions of dollars every year from workers, making it harder for families to pay the rent, buy groceries, pay for education and health care," Healey said in a pre-recorded message obtained by the News Service. "And this doesn't just hurt workers and their families, it hurts all of us."
Healey said her fair labor division in 2020 assessed more than $12 million in restitution and penalties against employers who violated wage and hour laws, but also appealed for lawmakers to join labor advocates in passing a bill targeting wage theft. "Let's get it done this session," she said.
In her message, she also accused Uber and Lyft of misclassifying drivers and denying them basic workplace protections and benefits. "Many responsible employers provide flexible schedules and they pay minimum wage, overtime, earned sick time," Healey said. "And that's all we want. We want Uber and Lyft to be a responsible employer, and to pay all the benefits and protections under our law."
Workers plan a socially distanced solidarity rally at 2 p.m. Saturday in Chelsea as part of International Workers' Day. Speakers scheduled to talk at 248 Everett Ave. about wage theft, the needs of gig workers, and the federal PRO Act include Mass. AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman, Brazilian Workers Center Executive Director Natalicia Tracy, Jorge Rivera of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, DC 35, and youth leaders from La Colaborativa.
"We demand passage of the PRO Act so that we have a clear pathway to organize into unions and to push back against years of corporate abuse against workers," said Darlene Lombos, principal officer of the Greater Boston Labor Council. "We are telling the Massachusetts legislature that they must take action against wage theft because an honest day's work should come with an honest day's pay. And we are fighting for the rights of gig workers, who deserve the same protection and benefits as all workers in the Commonwealth."
Rally organizers, who have been unable to advance wage theft bills through the Democrat-controlled Legislature, said the problem results in $700 million being stolen from about 350,000 low-wage workers each year.
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