A Call to Action to Stop Wage Theft

Wage theft is rampant across the U.S. A recent study found that low-wage workers in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles had an average of $51 stolen from their weekly earnings. The illegal underpayment or non-payment of workers' wages affects millions of workers each year, forcing many to choose between paying their rent and feeding their families.

Interfaith Worker Justice and its affiliated groups around the country are preparing to kick off a national Wage Theft campaign that will draw attention to this injustice. And we need your help!

Here's what you can do:

* Complete our online survey to find out if you've been affected by Wage Theft. Send the link to the online survey to members of your organization or congregation. Or download a print version of the survey (PDFs in English or Spanish) and circulate it. Submit the completed surveys to Cara Gold, IWJ, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, IL 60660 (cgold@iwj.org).

* Join us for our National Day of Action to Stop Wage Theft on Thursday, November 19th! Communities of faith and people of conscience across the nation will be mobilizing on that day. Effective actions could include:

1. Host an educational event in your community - invite workers who have experienced Wage Theft to share their stories;
2. Organize a delegation of faith leaders to meet with your state and federal legislators;
3. Hold a prayer vigil for victims of Wage Theft;

Once you have scheduled your event, contact Cara Gold (cgold@iwj.org) in order to receive a comprehensive packet of resources. If you have any questions, please call Cara at 773-728-8400, ext. 34.

We can end Wage Theft in our communities and in our nation if we work and stand together.