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The Bay

We Need to Talk About Wage Theft

Ericka Cruz GuevarraFarida Jhabvala RomeroAlan MontecilloMaria Esquinca
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Mirna Arana holds her 3-year-old son at a park in Oakland, Calif. on Feb. 17, 2022. After waiting for more than three years for a hearing on her wage claim, the Labor Commissioner's Office ruled her old employer owes her nearly $183,000. But it's unclear when -- or if -- she'll recover the money, she said. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)

In California, tens of thousands of workers aren’t getting paid what they’re owed by their employers. Many of these workers are low-wage earning immigrants in industries like construction, home care, and food service.

The state actually has a system in place where people can file claims of wage theft. But the system currently has a huge backlog, leaving people waiting years before they can try and and recover their money. In some cases, workers claim their employers stole tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars from them. 

The result? Many low-wage Californians miss out on rent, food, and can even lose their homes.

Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED labor correspondent


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