DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Wage theft costs Americans more than any other type of theft. According to the Economic Policy Center, $50 billion a year in wages are stolen from workers.
In Texas, thousands of employees every year file a claim with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) with hopes of recovering the money they're owed. However, recouping stolen wages is often difficult and rare, a CBS News investigation found.
Oscar Torres, a construction worker in Dallas, filed a wage theft claim with TWC after his employer, a small remodeling company, did not pay him for 10 days of work in 2018 – totaling $1,400.
"What happen is the subcontractor just disappeared," Torres said. "I've fallen behind on rent. I've had to cut back on food expenses and gas to be able to go to another job" [translation from Spanish].
For low-wage construction workers in Texas, Torres' experience is common. According to a survey conducted by the University of Texas and the Workers Defense Project, 1 in 5 construction workers reported being denied payment for their work.
When the TWC investigated Torres' case, Torres received a judgement for the money he was owed, however, he has yet to receive any of his owed wages as the state has, so far, been unable to collect the money from his former employer.
In the past four years, the TWC awarded Torres unpaid wages four time by four different employers. In each case, Torres has not been paid.
Torres said, "I believe in justice and justice here in Texas and that's...
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