When you’re shopping for gifts this holiday season, keep in mind that some of the outlets selling furniture, electronics and other goods may have a history of failing to pay their workers.
Wage theft occurs in every industry and Public Integrity has reported about many of those this year. In 2019 alone, the U.S. Department of Labor cited about 8,500 employers for not paying $287 million to workers.
A review of Department of Labor data shows that the retail industry had more than 2,900 wage theft cases from 2010 to 2020 — more than three for every 1,000 employees.
Below is a table showing retail companies, their number of wage theft cases and employees affected, and the amount of back wages assessed from 2010 through 2020.