September 01, 2012 02:00 AM UTC

Churches and synagogues mark Labor Day vowing to curb wage theft

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• by: FRESC Good Jobs

This weekend, dozens of metro area churches and synagogues are taking action to help their members and other Coloradoans recover wages their employers stole from them.  Congregations ranging from Jewish to United Methodist will be saying prayers, conducting wage theft surveys, directing impacted congregants to the appropriate government agencies and legal services.  At least two Unitarian Universalist communities will be taking up special collections to support the cause of ending wage theft.  

“This Sunday, I will reflect on Deuteronomy 24:14-15, which states in part: ‘You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers,'” stated Rev. Daniel Klawitter of Burns Memorial United Methodist Church in Aurora.  

Wage theft is a national problem and Colorado is no different.  Every year, US workers lose $19 billion in unpaid overtime alone.  Employees of all different income levels, industries, and parts of the state are impacted.  Wage theft takes many forms, including willful violations of minimum wage laws, failing to pay overtime pay, forcing employees to work off the clock, withholding an employee’s final paycheck, withholding earned tips from restaurant workers or complete nonpayment for labor performed.

Wage theft is already illegal under Colorado law.  Unfortunately, the legal system is inadequate for addressing this problem.  “The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment aids employees who are victims of wage theft; unfortunately they have only a few employees to help the thousands of workers who file claims for owed wages every year.   That’s why faith leaders are joining with employment lawyers, nonprofit organizations and others-to help these workers and level the playing field for ethical businesses that do the right thing and pay their workers what they should,” stated Klawitter.

“Half of my congregation has been impacted by wage theft, either personally or has a family member who has had wages stolen from them,” stated Rev. Anne Dunlap, a United Church of Christ pastor in Aurora.  Dunlap testified in favor of a bill, sponsored by State Rep. Jonathan Singer (D-Longmont) to improve wage theft enforcement during the 2012 legislative session.  That bill died in the House Judiciary Committee.  “This issue is too important to quit now.  My congregation is joining with congregations across the state to make sure that 2013 is the year we fix our system for victims of wage theft and for the honest businesses that suffer when lawbreakers aren’t forced to pay,” Dunlap vowed.

“This is my top personal priority for the 2013 legislative session.  This isn’t about stealing a TV or stealing a car, but about stealing someone’s ability to have a home or to have enough food to put on the table,” stated Singer.

This is the fifth annual Labor in the Pulpits Sunday in Colorado, according to Klawitter who organizes the event every year.  Klawitter leads Interfaith Worker Justice Colorado which educates, organizes and mobilizes the religious community to sustain workers’ lives with dignity, fair pay, and family-supporting benefits.  Interfaith Worker Justice Colorado is a project of FRESC: Good Jobs, Strong Communities.  FRESC is a nonprofit organization that advocates for an economy that works for everyone.  

“Given the religious community’s focus on wage theft over the past few years, it was a simple choice to focus this year’s Labor in the Pulpits event on wage theft. Every congregation member who learns about wage theft, fills out a personal impact survey, or puts a dollar in the collection plate is getting us closer to a Colorado where all workers receive what they are entitled to,” remarked Klawitter.  

“This campaign is a critical part of FRESC’s mission of rebuilding the middle class.  When businesses that follow the law have a level playing field and workers receive every penny of their hard earned pay, everyone wins,” said Kevin Abels, Executive Director of FRESC: Good Jobs, Strong Communities.