Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has announced legislation that would make large-scale wage theft a felony nationwide. Gillibrand says the Don't Stand for Taking Employed Americans' Livings (Don't STEAL) Act would bring penalties for wage theft in line with other forms of criminal theft under federal law. Under this legislation, employers who willfully fail to pay wages, deny overtime, or steal tips would face misdemeanor or felony charges depending on the severity of the violation. Currently, wage theft is treated at most as a misdemeanor. Today, employers who commit willful wage theft can be fined no more than $10,000. This bill eliminates that cap and requires fines to be proportional to the amount of wages stolen. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House.
Gillibrand says, "Working Americans deserve to take home every penny that they have earned, and employers who cheat their employees out of hard-earned wages must be held accountable. Ahead of Labor Day, I am proud to announce this bill to bring the punishment for wage theft in line with other forms of criminal theft. This is commonsense legislation to help protect workers, and I am determined to get it passed."
