GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Across the state, Florida workers say they are being denied pay or being asked to work off the clock by their employers. Currently, state lawmakers are considering a "wage-theft" bill, but it would require that any cases be filed in court.

Melissa Elliott is one of an estimated 1800 victims of wage theft in Alachua County alone. Last year she worked for tips only, at the request of a downtown Gainesville restaurant. She estimates losing at least $8000 in income, in addition to the issues she had with filing her taxes properly and being eligible for the accurate amount of unemployment benefits when she was laid off.

"I knew I wasn't getting paid everything, but at least I was making something," Elliott said. "I eventually lost my job there because I was asking a lot of questions and I wanted to be paid, and I put my foot down and I got dismissed."

Earlier this month, Alachua County passed a wage-recovery ordinance which provides a mediation system for employees who feel they were denied pay by their employers. Late last week the Florida House passed its own version of a wage-theft bill (HB 1125) which would supersede any local laws. Groups such as the Florida AFL-CIO oppose that state measure because it requires cases to be filed in court. That forces workers to pay attorney fees and court costs, which the unions say would make the process cost-prohibitive and confusing.

Jeremiah Tattersall, the director of the Alachua County Wage Theft Task Force, calls wage theft a "silent epidemic" that's taking place across the state. He said recent legislation being pushed in Tallahassee is working against the power of local governments and their desire to protect their citizens.

"There does seem to be a trend that Tallahassee is where local governments go to die in 2013," he charged. "You have pre-emption of wage theft, pre-emption of living wage, pre-emption of sick leave."

Tattersall referred to House Bill 655, which would overrule any city or county laws about requiring a living wage or paid sick leave for its contractors.

Melissa Elliott now works as a saucier at another downtown Gainesville restaurant and said her current employer pays and treats her fairly.

"When I started my new job, the one I have now, I was almost hesitant to go above and beyond like I normally did, because I had spent the last year being horribly taken advantage of," she recalled.

Elliott said she now is thriving in her work environment and plans to attend culinary school to become a chef.

Miami-Dade was the first county in the nation to adopt a wage-theft law. Close to $1 million in lost wages has been recovered under their law by the U.S. Department of Labor.





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Washington joins a handful of states to do away with mandatory meetings for employees on political or religious matters.

Sometimes known as captive audience meetings, the gatherings were seen as a way for employers to give their opinions on subjects like unionization, and held potential consequences for employees who didn't attend. Lawmakers passed a bill this session allowing workers to skip the meetings without repercussions.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, a sponsor of the bill, said we live in a divided society where emotions run high on political topics.

"This bill simply protects employees to have a real choice on whether or not to attend a meeting called by their boss to be told about some political or religious issue," Keiser explained.

Keiser pointed out the legislation is nonpartisan. For instance, employers could not force employees to attend anti-union meetings, but also could not force them to attend a meeting about the importance of reproductive rights. The bill takes effect June 6.

Keiser noted the bill likely got across the finish line this session because of the uptick in union organizing and support for labor. She added there are widely known stories of Starbucks managers, for example, requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings while the employees organized the workplace.

"Employees have been forced to attend meetings to listen to the boss or the employer basically tell them why they shouldn't join a union," Keiser observed.

Washington is the sixth state to pass a law prohibiting attendance at captive audience meetings. Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and New York have passed similar laws in recent years. Oregon passed a law allowing workers to skip such meetings without repercussions in 2010.


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A bill vetoed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin would have raised the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour starting in 2026.

While the bill moved out of committee and the General Assembly, it did so on party-line votes. Youngkin opposed the bill, saying it could hurt small businesses and some restaurants.

Jay Speer, executive director of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said it was disappointing to see the measure vetoed.

"Wages are way too low. People cannot afford housing and food and everything else," Speer pointed out. "It's a disappointment that they can't raise the minimum wage so people can survive. I mean, it's long overdue."

Passing the bill was part of a 2020 minimum-wage increase requiring a reauthorization to bring it up to $15. A state study found a person has to make at least $14.55 an hour to afford the cheapest place to live while only spending one-third of his or her income on housing. The current minimum wage in Virginia is $12 an hour, but around 500,000 Virginians make $12 or less.

Youngkin also vetoed a bill ending exemptions from Virginia's minimum-wage requirements for farmworkers or temporary foreign workers.

Kim Bobo, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center on Public Policy, said it was not as impactful since most farmworkers make more than the minimum wage. But she said the exemption remains for another reason.

"The only reason farmworkers continue to be exempted in Virginia is racism," Bobo contended. "That's why they're exempted. And, we should just change that, like there's no reason not to. It really does not affect that many workers in Virginia."

Youngkin and other legislators with a farming background said the bill would hinder farmers' ability to turn a profit.

New York restaurant workers need to know their rights to better navigate their workplaces. A new report finds high rates of what it calls "occupational segregation" in the restaurant industry, which can relegate some people to lower-paying jobs.

Workers' rights organizations are counteracting this with training programs. Alima Iskakova, a server for Exquisite Staffing, a catering company, said the CHOW training from Restaurant Opportunities Centers United is helping her.

"Since I completed this training course, I am more confident when it comes to job interviews," she said. "I am more confident - like, when it comes to these types of interviews, plus with all my experience and the knowledge that I got from ROC United, I have a higher income."

She was also trained in safe food handling, OSHA certification and other need-to-know information about the restaurant industry. These courses are available in several cities beyond New York.

The report also notes that, unlike training offered by organizations such as the National Restaurant Association, these courses prioritize developing restaurant workers' power to support individual career development.

The report says racism and sexism abound in the restaurant industry. White men make up a majority of higher-earning positions, such as bartenders.

Although these training courses are helpful, Iskakova noteed that not knowing English can be a disadvantage. She said other cultural differences can make this work challenging.

"In the hospitality industry, even like when people come here as an immigrant, they don't know the rules, they don't know the laws," she said. "And ROC United, they help us to do the cover letter, resume. There are certain things - like, there is a difference."

Another challenge she encountered was the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Iskakova said her work has been interesting, but she's got ambitions outside of food service. Along with photography, she's a communications major at CUNY.


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