I'M NOT SUPRISED BY THIS

In the early 70s, I visited some friends in upstate NY, near the Canadian border. One of them was working at a local fast food place and had been cheated out of overtime pay. There are so few employment opportunities in the area that he didn't feel he could complain.

I also recall some of the low wage jobs I've had and sometimes the boss tried pretty hard to either short us on money or make us feel as if we were worthless. So much for the righteousness of the small businessman.

Low-Wage Workers Are Often Cheated, Study Says
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: September 1, 2009
NY Times

Low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study based on a survey of workers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

...68 percent of the workers interviewed had experienced at least one pay-related violation in the previous work week.

In surveying 4,387 workers in various low-wage industries, including apparel manufacturing, child care and discount retailing, the researchers found that the typical worker had lost $51 the previous week through wage violations, out of average weekly earnings of $339. That translates into a 15 percent loss in pay.