As McDonald’s workers across the country begin to take action against wage theft, one thing is clear: this is not a problem isolated to McDonald’s or the fast-food industry. Wage theft is rampant across low-wage industries – even in federal buildings.

You might assume that companies receiving taxpayer dollars wouldn’t get those dollars if they didn’t follow federal law, but recent studies show a persistent pattern of law-breaking by federal contractors.  A U.S. Senate report revealed that 32 percent of the largest U.S. Department of Labor penalties for wage theft were brought against federal contractors.  Similarly, a National Employment Law Project study found that nearly 40 percent of low-wage contract workers in the DC metro area reported stolen wages.

Bobo is the founder of Interfaith Worker Justice and author of the book "Wage Theft in America."

View the Full Story from The Hill