Advocates say that millions of workers, mainly in low-wage industries, lose money through wage theft. Wage theft occurs when workers are not given tips, paid the minimum wage, overtime or mis-classified. Workers in the fast food, agriculture, and other service sectors are often the most effected by employer practices that end up costing them hundreds of dollars a year. For many workers, finding a way to recover lost wages is next to impossible. The problem is compounded by a lack of enforcement from the state and federal government, especially in the wake of budget cuts that have reduced the personnel at agencies tasked with enforcing wage and hour laws.
See "Workers beset by 'wage theft,' advocates say", Houston Chronicle, June 10, 2012