CHICAGO (CBS) – Wage theft costs Americans more than any other type of theft. The figure nationwide is $50 billion. But, for each person impacted it can be hundreds or even thousands of much-needed dollars. Some people might not even realize they are missing money from their paychecks because sometimes it's just a few dollars here and there.
A worker advocacy group, the Chicago Workers Collaborative helped Jose Neri, one Illinois worker whose employer didn't pay him what he was owed.
He worked for one week at a home and office cleaning business. He spent that week tidying up a Target store. The job ended but his paycheck from the cleaning company never arrived.
Neri said he asked his employer for his money several times unsuccessfully. He said he believes the cleaning business was taking advantage of his immigration status and difficulty speaking English. "In the end, we are human, and we should not work for free," he said.
Neri reported his case to the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL).
Data obtained by CBS News reveals nearly 24,000 workers in Illinois filed claims like Neri's between January 2017 and early October 2022. The total amount workers claim they were cheated out of totals $194 million.
NEW FEDERAL INVESTIGATION
IDOL isn't the only agency investigating wage theft in Illinois.
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