How employers steal from workers -- and get away with it | Rebecca Galemba | TEDxMileHigh
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2021
- Every year, millions of Americans are victims of wage theft: they’re paid below minimum wage, they don’t receive earned benefits, tips, overtime, or breaks, they’re misclassified as independent contractors, or simply not paid for their work. It’s a $50 billion dollar problem, even though most people have never heard of it! In this illuminating talk, anthropologist Rebecca Galemba explains why wage theft continues to happen & what we can do to protect workers across industries. Rebecca Galemba is an anthropologist and associate professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. Her research focuses on Latin America, migration, borders, and the intersection between immigration & labor rights in the U.S. Her first book, Contraband Corridor: Making a Living at the Mexico-Guatemala Border, was published in 2017. She is currently writing a new book, Unjust Wages: Day Laborers and Advocates Fighting Wage Theft from a Mile High, based on her experience leading the Just Wages Project. She lives in Denver with her husband Dan, daughters Lanie and Lexi, and two dogs, Oscar and Rosie. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
Steal small and go to jail. Steal big and be lauded as a leader.
Well said 👍
Smh
This is happening to me as we speak
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Employers claim "time theft". Now, post pandemic, employers are using this reset to keep labor costs down while increasing employee workload by not replacing workers lost during the pandemic.
The skeleton crew is a classic
I'm from Sydney Australia and I've been arguing with my HR manager about wage theft, in the end they sacked me. What's worse is that the government departments said we can't represent you, you need a lawyer. Go figure
That's terrible😰. From what I keep seeing, HR isn't really to protect employees from employers but in reality it seems to be for the opposite purpose 😤
Justices should come to you ! Prove it !
Thank you
@@dissonanceparadiddle DUH...I mean the REAL crime is the fact most employees get tiny percentages of the value provided. The justification for all of this si the constant "well we can get another truck driver tomorrow". Well the Stockholders could get another CEO too but that's not the point.
Just like the United States..."Right to Work" they call it. We dont need a right to work, we need a right to get paid.
Unfortunately, this crime comes in different forms and is happening globally. What worse is that you only get "There's nothing we can do about it." or "It's what you signed up for" and there's no article in our law that supports it.
in the end - it's very true - if you sign up for this, then you need to expect it. That said, unfortunately the government never teaches us about work laws in school - only high level aspects that never apply to everyday life - which is why people are left exploited. That's why harassment is such a prevalent crime too - because people aren't taught laws about relationships either nor how to be a decent person, so then it happens. Neglect at its finest.
Worker exploitation is itself an epidemic. I genuinely fear for what’s over the post-pandemic horizon… before COVID the company I worked for was criminally understaffed, and frustratingly no one cared. This one coworker would work 16 hour shifts multiple times a week. She didn’t care despite how badly her health was declining. The worst part is that people become complacent. I didn’t stand for it, and I got the boot. It’s a taboo topic to talk about so I’m glad there are people actively researching it and pushing for change.
Good for you, fighting the elite. Stand up, comrade!
she seems quite nervous filming this; but she shouldn't be. She's very well spoken and knowledgeable and experienced about what she's talking about
Agree but I think that's the fact that she has 2 cameras pointing at her one on the left and one on the right
Right
Shes doing a good job, but shes missing hand gestures. Theyd go a long way for her
She hit her mark and I still felt her empathy. Some of us just have a hard time following an outline because of passion behind the topic lol maybe I’m reflecting but I felt this woman on many levels
I don't think it's nervousness - she's talking in a tone that people who are watching can feel comfortable with.
I'm going through this right now unfortunately. My payroll manager quit after stealing money from the co-workers that work with the company😢. She never got fired she quit and she took everybody's personal information with her. Now everyone has to write out a police report that they didn't get paid last week and she's been stealing money since the day I was hired on the job. On Top of that she left town. 🤬
An owner for a company I worked for had contract drivers that he wanted to lower their percentage on commission. So he unveiled a uniform program to make them look professional. Then he took 3 % off their commission to pay for it. Followed by taking money out of their checks for uniforms. He had a saying, "He wouldn't have anyone working for him smarter than him". said the self-proclaim genius right after he had fired everyone including me that worked for a company he bought out and consolidated into his business after he sent a letter to all the customers of that company where he explained they were all cheats. He then lost 1/2 those customers. It's not easy being smarter than everyone else..
its time for revolution! you are really slaves in the US.
Jess kg we are not slaves in America. You don't like your job, you can get another one very easily.
It's hard to find good workers.
The ones that complain are the ones that are lazy and want top dollar.
Not to mention the entitlements.
By the way, it is the easiest to open your own business and be your own boss, especially in the U.S.
Once companies realize that good employees are assets that you have to invest in. Employers these days like to give you a certain title to justify your pay, then they give you roles and responsibilities that reach far beyond that title. Then when it comes times to talk compensation, they refer to the going rate and average for your title. They think they are being sneaky, but they aren't. I've called multiple employers out over this, and have left jobs because I refuse to play that game
Damn, complete a segment on trucking. I worked for a company that didnt want to pay overtime. Told by their attorney that they should and are required to. Still didnt. Workers hired an attorney and they settled out of court. Greed at its finest..
I just found out that my employer "expects" to have any overtime hours added on to the next week's pay check (meaning you'll also work less the next week..) instead of paying the legal rate and hours they are supposed to. I was told that it was up to me, though, if I wanted to claim overtime, but I was also asked if I wanted to continue working at the same job...
I find it very odd that in a job market where there are so many job openings, how do employers get away with treating employees like this? It really seems like things have changed for the worse over the last 10-20 years but maybe it was always like this and we are just now being made aware of it...
No controversy about things getting worse. Neoliberalism is the core ideology of US politics. It is a system of thought that gives everything to the ultra rich and nothing to workers. Economic stats are clear regarding trajectory of our criminal system. Don't ever vote Republican.
Things are definitely getting worse. This has been happening since forever but employers are emboldened by decades of getting away with it.
Did you quit?
There is definitely blame to be placed on the person who is willing to do more for less. The competition ruins the negotiation process. This is why I'm self employed.
Even a person at a burger joint could do better buying a hot dog cart and venturing out on their own.
@@sockoblocko This is a fantasy. People can't just pop a sign on their door and start a business. Very purposefully, there are prohibitive laws specifically to make it very difficult: exclusive zoning laws, required permits, required insurance. This is just the tip of an extremely treacherous iceberg.
The pharmaceutical company I work for does this by scheduling work rotations to overlap pay periods with a 4 days on and 4 days off schedule for 12 hours a day. For a 48 hour rotation, we only get paid for 36 hours for 4 out of every 7 weeks.
This is so helpful, thank you so much for this video!
I do not approve of theft in any kind of way but I do have a problem with: "You need to ask more questions" part. I should ask questions at my job and be better at it, I should grow as a parent if I have children, I should grow as a person. I do not think I should nor want to have a 20-minute interview with a waiter at a restaurant. Where does meat come from? Where do vegetables come from? And sugar? Is it from a paying plantation, Tablecloths? No slaving children? Do You drive a sustainable car? Does Your boss? Does he pay You right?
All of that is shifting responsibility to citizens. How about we finally have decent regulations and people who will ask those questions (because it is their job) and check the facts.
I am talking globally now, not only America or Canada or France, or Brasil... Globally we really need that.
Completely agree
well it is up to citizens to ask this - as they are the sources of the money and voting. They decide who they fund, vote for, and pay taxes. If this isn't done - then progress can't happen. The issue is it shouldn't have to be with every person - the company should put it on their website and any company that doesn't is too lazy to be taken seriously - in which employees shouldn't work there in the first place. People need to stand behind transparent businesses and it's up to all of us to drain the leeches - but as you said, we can't have it the way it is now - maybe there can be regulations that make business owners have to post that information? The issue is that many customers don't want to look at something on the internet to where they get confused - so will regulation truly help? Will businesses taking on this job really help? No - because in the end, it's people who have to be receptive to start the process.
I work as a security guard in a hospital. My company is contracted to the hospital and we were supposed to have a 50 cent raise almost 5 months ago but didn't get it.
The raise is in the contract so the hospital has been paying my company all this time extra money for us to have a raise but haven't been paying it to us...
Contact an employment lawyer
Admitting that wage theft is a day in day out practice in many places around the world, I can imagine how much money is at stake,probably trillions 😎
THATS money gifted employees are leaving on the table working for another.
Amazing! Very good Ted, thank you!
It happens in dentistry too. Altering time cards to prevent paying OT. Cheating you out of holidays that are supposed to be paid.
As A Firefighter for over 26 years in a major city I saw a lot of my firefighter Brothers hiring day laborers to do work for them in their side jobs.
Great talk and sharing! Wage theft and labor violation must be seriously taken into granted! The workers work for money for sure, but employers must share and take their own responsibility for workers ! When workers get, for reality the employers earn more !
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Yep...I deal with a .50 cent raise why everybody is making 10 an hour 4 years working...smfh
Unfortunately, the real way to get more money is to change jobs.
@@grmpEqweer no. The real way to get more money is learning skills that make you eligible for higher paying jobs.
@@HOPOFFMYSHLONG Exactly. Which is why once I learn and improve my skills in my starting position, I ask to be cross trained in another position. Not only that, but learning new skills gives you leverage in asking for a raise as well. All in all, both open more opportunities within the same company or elsewhere.
Probably because you can't write correctly.
@@andreww.8262 now what ...nothing it's not me its my tablet you prombly 1 of them ppl that are getting free money. ..unemployment something I pay taxes
Perhaps if employer labor theft is treated as a felony it would be taken seriously... If I could write a law, a felony if not paid in a 90 day window then a a clause to dissolve all assets (including bonds) on repeated violations with leans against the individuals conducting the theft to prevent the hidden LLC loophole.
It’s been that way much of my life. One day this will change for me . I have Faith!
Unions.. US had the solution, then forsaken it..
Long ago I brought up a concern of mine to my boss (the owner at a small business). He got instantly annoyed and told me, "that is union mentality, we arent a union" and "Dont even start thinking like that, thats a terrible way to think". I assumed my mentality was wrong and left it at that. Years later I realized that he was saying that solely so he kept benefiting and to quiet me.
I'm at Home Depot almost daily, and their are about 100 workers just standing in the parking lot all morning. It's very inconvenient for taxpayers.
I m addicted of ted x talks. BTW it helps us to show our personality and gives motivation for work. And for me it also improves my English very well 😋
Your heart speaks volumes. I’m very open minded and I overlooked the topic of even racism and how many of those men pulling up to those home improvement store never had the intention to pay those workers based from their opinions or judgments of their citizenships 😞. It’s comparable to when one ganng member attacks another gang member from another gang and can completely be blinded by the “tribe, country, gang or race etc.” they belong to and remove the 1:1 human interaction from the whole exchange. Ugh 😣
there's also an aire of sexism - think about who is at a home improvement store? There's also the whole interview process that deserves its own video.
Sounds like Amazon
Sounds like the entire United States of America...
I know it happens everywhere but it's a whole other level here. Exploiting workers is as American as apple pie. It's our way of life. It's baked into the fabric of our country.
@@chelseap2071
It stems from a country built on slavery, they used to get it for free, of course they don't wanna give workers rights
@@twincitydezray Oh, most definitely. It's just so sad that even the few rights people fought and died for, like the 40 hr work week, are rights we've already given up and lost again. Nobody only works 40 hrs anymore, everyone's got gigs and "side hustles" to try to make rent.
@@chelseap2071
Exactly, it's like we're going backwards, the cost of living is out of control, specifically rentals/ mortgages. Nobody should have to pay 1000+ a month for a hole in the wall apartment when minimum wage hasn't increased in decades but yet Republicans argue a raise in minimum wage will just raise prices...
@@chelseap2071 So start your own business. Working for another is filled with getting played with.
interesting take on this issue
I agree
I've been in the restaurant business all my life and never encountered this.
Had an employer tell me not to leave jobs sites until the work was finished, which a lot of times lead to working past my clock out time , then I had to drive the service truck back to the garage which sometimes took an hour or two depending on traffic, so once I got to the garage I would clock out, then one day my employer tells me he will start clocking me out at 3pm (scheduled clock out time) even if I'm still driving back to the garage, I told him he couldn't legally do that, he tells me that driving the truck back is not work, I tell him that I will be back by 3pm every day then, he says i can't do that if I'm not finished, so I told him that him telling me that makes it part of my work, driving the truck is part of the job, he is making me stay over rather than come back the following day, I told him that if he clocked me out while I was still working, I would report him to the state's department of labor and sue him... he fired me on the spot.
When you clock in or out, they round off the time to which ever way saves them money. That means you are clocked in, but you are not going to get paid for that time. This is standard practice for every company that uses clock-ins.
I am looking into finding a lawyer. I saw my manager take tips that my co-worker and I worked for and put them into the register for the company. THIS PISSED ME OFF. As I said, I am taking in the initiative to find a lawyer. Last year I also learned that a manager was taking funds out of the employee budget. I don't bow down to managers and corporate.
She even shrugged her shoulders and say that it will be put into the company's account. UGH. Just tired of corporations not being held accountable.
Wage theft even occurs at the management level and occurs in the Fortune 500, 100 and 50.
There is also labor theft because there are situations where they never said they would pay you, so it isn't wage theft. For example, the bait and switch tactic of saying you get one wage for one job, but then switch you to a job of greater value. They can then claim there is no wage theft and they might be technically right. That could be called labor theft, which is really a form of labor trafficking.
This is what has been happening in Jamaica especially since the pandemic
Then they complain why nobody wants to work anymore, or how they can’t find anyone to work. People are tired of getting screwed over, the best thing would be to be your own boss these days.
I work in the wind industry and they do fail to pay us properly
It must be all gone with the wind.....
They also fail to properly count hourly wages snd can hife data time punch in
the issue isn't the change of the laws to update to today's standards - it's the lack of oversight and enforcement and education of those laws that're difficult. My state introduced new labor laws in 2019-2021, yet failed to tell me due to the pandemic - busy telling me those laws. So now I have to learn them on my own after I start work. Also how to states go after jobs in other countries due to remote work? The issue is a lack of communication and employee empowerment and giving employers limitations.
I was looking to see if I could feature a portion of this video on my podcast?
The good video 👏👏
ah thats a good one💸
When an employer has at least 5 temp agencies to find their employees, they don't care about them.
Im doing an IT job in which Im a contingent worker. I was promised a 4$ raise after 3 months of working. After 3 months, i have my bachelors as well. When I asked my boss, she said "I dont remember that conversation".
Ive been there 6 months now, still contingent, and working full time without a the raise or ANY benefits. Im glad I get the experience, but how does my boss expect anyone to stay in this position?
Hope you changed the job or got the raisw already?
@@Lena.2406 nope, neither :/
@@zmoo3788 oh i am sorry to hear that. Please dont stay moře than a year in these conditions, you deserve better and you can definitely get better deals in your field
There should be an equally FOCUS on foreign companies in the USA and how pay is ESTABLISHED, how they base the evaluation and how those evaluations prevent increase in pay do to how companies feel evaluations are graded on Americans and how personal from their countries benefit better...If any employee mentions "Union!" They are fired, seems no stops this do to basis on what state their in..
I thought this was about employees stealing.
I wonder how different the industry would be if everyone was paid correctly.
"paid correctly"
That is arbitrary
honestly this happens to everyone - due to a bad system. It doesn't have to do with immigrants - it has to do with being employed by a company. The best security is an employment agency - for oversight. Never get hired by any true company!
فديو جميل جدا بالتوفيق ان شاء الله روعه بجد 🥰💜
What about misclassifying workers as subcontractors? Most of the ways they steal from workers is not against any statutory law.
They will also stalk you and find all kinds of irrelevant negative information about you so they can use it to destroy your reputation.
You are wise girl,, that is why you don't have to be good at body's impression.👌👍
This is why Everytime I hire someone, O create and provide copies of a contract they can use to demand payment. For free. It's part of what I pay for their services.
Had an employer who payed by the 15 seconds. He has an F BBB rating but somehow manages to stay in business.
Had this happen to me more times than I can recall. Having to share tips with a dishwasher who doesn't even work the floor, so owner didn't have to pay him fair wages. When I protested, I was fired. One employer gave my paycheck to my estranged husband even though she knew we were separated ( she was dating him).
Get it in writing...get it legal or expect to be done over...from boyfriends to employers. Not kidding btw...No Woman should be screwing around with a boyfriend who has no intention whatsoever in making it all legal. THEY are ripping you off.
@@johndough23 Man, you are so wise and smart! Wow!
Well… nice presentation but I don’t ever feel this can ever be fixed.
Wait wait wait.
She talks about not getting paid what was agreed upon but then goes into things like paying below the minimum wage or misrepresenting employees as contractors. This isn't theft. You can question the legality of it, but it's not theft. Day labours are vulnerable because they are working illegally, you can talk about the morality of it all but when an individual is trying to circumvent the law. It normally hurts them.
Also it's never mentioned that there's no other country that would pay them better for under the table illegal pay. Or that they wouldn't even get hired in most countries. Or that if any American were to try to work under the table illegally in any of the countries these undocumented workers are coming from- no one would give them a job. Also it can't be theft if the amount was agreed upon before starting the job. It's unfortunate she chose to focus on these things & not the insane actual wage theft happening in the restaurant industry.
Sounds like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
nice
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Wow
I did not know the exact total of the comparison of theft categories.
I learned something.
Very useful.
Thank You.
God Loves You and so do I.
Peace!
\o/
I love Ted talks
my job is stealing from me
Yes
They can because people are too insecure to quit and look for a new job.
How about quantum meruit bait and switch. You say you are hiring somebody for one thing, but then ask them to do another of far greater value. You ask them to fill a job of one level, but record it as another and report the wrong information to the department of labor. Quantum Meruit Bait and Switch is one of the favorites, because they know the judges are in the pockets of the corporations and there is no statute to protect employees from it and judges can more easily refuse to take any case based on quantum meruit equitable remedy under common law. They say you have no contract, but you have no right to a contract, how convenient.
Watch Grapes of Wrath...
forcing staff to rely on donations from customers is wage theft
124 employers disliked the video
Free market at its best
Yes, we are the true USA heroes. We are the USA workers.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@@macclift9956 gratitude for who?
What do you do when they steal through a disability claim? I have evidence of a whole wash that was done through a claim
there isn't 'nothing' that can be done - you can always get the work that you gave but weren't paid for back.
The REAL stealing goes on with employees who develop products/services and are simply paid their normal wage as X Corporation then makes billions off their idea. Most times the employee only "knows" they were part of the TEAM which developed the advance mouse trap. When in fact without their specific contributions nothing would have moved forward. Some may get an extra pct in their Christmas bonus check or a better parking spot out front, but none ever are properly compensated for the value provided. This is routine in all industries on a regular basis.
To say the employees with set skills and tasks are being ripped off is to not really understand the bigger picture whatsoever.
IF you're making a product for a company, especially with company resources, you are NOT entitled to more than your wages because it wasn't your idea that you spent your time and money alone to develop, market and sell. You're entitled if you think you deserve more than what your contract entitles...
@@boredfangerrude No company exists in that sort of bubble. They try sure but few last even 5 years who are not constantly adapting. Reason is the value producers in them have far more options to proper compensation than say an engineer working for GM did 50 years ago. Why develop a process inside a company when you can do it outside with a few of your buddies and then SELL the Corporation said process for 25 million? 2 Billion? This is how the smart ones do it in 2021. Taking an inside gig for peanuts might be part of this plan...One of your mates may have to cover the grenade for the others..so to speak.
Sandra Rabon
They be stealin money
I work in the automotive industry. I work flat rate . If I stand around I don’t get paid .I receive no overtime or compensation if I do not make 40 hrs . I’ve worked 40!hrs in a week and was only payed 25 . Due to how flat rate works . That’s not to mention I have around $50 k in tools . When it comes to warranty work ,the car manufacturers set the time . A job that pays 8 hrs under warranty rate can go down to as low as 3 1/2 hrs . You can’t do the job week within that time frame . If it comes back you are not paid again. The techs complained to the manufacturers and they said it’s not our job to guarantee for you to make money . Your mechanics are getting screwed all the way around
but your name is Martial Arts
@@FedJimSmith I run a full time school in the evenings and weekends also .
I don't believe laws should protect those who don't have legal status to get paid - because that just promotes more crime. Instead, not getting a wage sends a message that they aren't of priority - because it's those that have legal status that should be giving priority for work, first and foremost. Also, workers should be held accountable for their actions too. The issue is the system doesn't go after employers and just puts everything on workers - which isn't fair, as they're the ones who didn't get paid and spent all their time working. It should go after employers - because they receive all the benefits.
the laws favor exploitation - perhaps by design.
Hey, that's why they invented embezzling and secret trips to the office supply closet.
Only in America
These employers should be flogged. But the fact is that if they're willing to work that way they know the risks. They're not supposed to be working without papers. And these A holes take advantage of this. That's why they should ask to be paid up front. And these employers who hire guys without papers should be fined.
🖤👌
Injustice getting poverty
Corporations do this all the time and yes they get away with it unfortunately.
Hello
Underpayments.
"Day Labors"
Talk about migrant workers around the world.
¿¡¡Y LOS SUBTÍTULOS!!?
Existe la opción de tener una traducción al español. Míralo debajo del botón de configuración, elige subtítulos en inglés y luego elige del menú "traducir". ¡Espero que ayude!
Don’t work for thrift stores
If you think this is bad wait until you hear about surplus value extraction... 😔
Ummm... debunked... long time ago.
On behalf of the President, Vice President, CEO and all the share holders you're doing a fine job. And because of you the stock has gone up a 1/4 of a 1/4 of a percent.
I've never had an employer(of various types) screw me over my pay, except a ma n pop restaurant that screwed me on OT pay.
But then again, I'm a legal US citizen.
I'm a legal US citizen and out of the 76+ jobs I've had - 4 screwed me over on pay. I'm going to guess you didn't work as many jobs as I have to notice.
Ассалам алейкум 🇰🇿🇰🇿🇰🇿🇰🇿🇰🇿
This is how capitalism works... good morning.
Not in Europe.
/r/antiwork
Weed farms do this too
I have never met Sheryl Sandberg. I don't work for Facebook.