WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - Through a first-of-its-kind agreement in Michigan inked on Tuesday, July 26, Washtenaw County prosecutors will be working directly with federal labor officials to protect workers’ rights and deal with issues like wage theft.
Surrounded by labor leaders at a union hall, Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit signed a memorandum of understanding between his office and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which he says will close enforcement gaps and allow for joint investigations between federal and county officials.
A new focus on economic harms and worker protections are among the changes the reform-minded attorney has made since his 2020 election, which has already included creating a special unit to root out crimes against workers and financial exploitation.
“It shouldn’t matter who is stealing money from you, whether it’s somebody that’s picking your pocket on the street or an employer shorting you on the wages to which you’re legally entitled, at the end of the day that’s harm that somebody has suffered and that’s money that’s out of somebody’s pocket,” Savit said.
The new three-year agreement with Department of Labor is the first signed by a Michigan county prosecutor, Savit says, though similar partnerships exist in jurisdictions in Texas and California.
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