As part of our campaign to combat wage theft in Wisconsin, we have intensified our efforts to educate workers directly in their communities. One of the key new tactics has been surveying workers, asking them two simple questions: Do you know how to read your pay stub? Have you ever experienced wage theft?
This survey is a basic but powerful tool for detecting labor abuses and educating the community.
With our People’s Committee, a group of Worker Justice members committed to this mission, we have been able to engage workers in their apartments and at laundromats, stores, and shopping centers in Madison. The Committee uses real examples of pay stubs we have seen at the worker center (one correct and one with common errors), and we color-code the most important sections to make the information clear and visual. It’s not just about handing out paperwork, but about building dialogue and trust in each person’s language.
Through simple questions and visual materials, many people have discovered for the first time whether their pay is correct or if part of their wages are being stolen. One of the moments that most impacted us as a committee was when a couple who cleans offices shared their experience. They work for a company subcontracted to clean a corporate building, and when we showed them how to read their pay stub, noting the hourly rate, total hours worked, and deductions, they both realized they weren’t receiving what they were promised. The woman said, “I thought everything was fine, but I’d never checked it.”
Through our survey, we have identified concrete cases of wage theft. This opens the door for us to educate workers on how to file a complaint and support people in the organizing process.
Furthermore, the survey makes this problem visible and demonstrates the urgency of real change that goes to the root of the problem. To date, we have surveyed 782 workers, of whom 682 do not know how to read their pay stubs. This lack of basic education contributes to the exploitation of workers by employers.
This campaign would not be possible without the active collaboration of the members of the People’s Committee, who have shown that knowledge can empower and transform lives. Their commitment demonstrates that the fight for labor justice doesn’t begin in an office, but in the streets, laundromats, and apartments where our communities live and work.
If you would like to learn more or join us in educating workers, please contact Socorro at socorro@workerjustice.org.
