For Immediate Release: Monday, June 11th
Contact on behalf of Community Labor United (CLU): Jackie Kessel, 617-877-4573; Jaclyn@617MediaGroup.com
New Ad Campaign Tells Beacon Hill: No More Victims. No More Excuses. Stop Wage Theft Now.
With Time Running Out for Lawmakers to Confront the State’s Growing Wage Theft Epidemic, Advocates Unleash Sweeping Ad Campaign Featuring Real-Life Victims; Urge Legislature to Pass S. 2546 Before It’s Too Late
$700 million is stolen from workers in Massachusetts every year
Listen and Watch Here: https://bit.ly/2sUg6kf
Boston – With time running out for lawmakers to confront the state’s growing wage theft epidemic, advocates today launched a major new advertising campaign featuring some of the more than 350,000 Massachusetts workers who are victimized by the crime every year.
Called “No More Victims. No More Excuses. Stop Wage Theft Now,” the ad campaign is blanketing the capitol and key districts across the Commonwealth, urging legislators to take action to protect hard-working families.
“Our message to lawmakers is clear: wage theft is a crime. And it’s time to put a stop to it,” said Isabel Gonzalez-Webster, Director of Capacity Building at Community Labor United.
The campaign will run across the Commonwealth, with billboards, cable tv, radio, video and digital ads spanning Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Statehouse News Service, iHeart radio, Pandora, and more. The ads highlight the victims of the epidemic and urge constituents to contact their representatives to pass S.2546 to stop wage theft now.
The proposed bill would give the attorney general’s office more tools to hold employers accountable for breaking the law, including the ability to bring wage theft cases to court for civil damages and to issue “stop work orders” until wage theft violations are corrected.
Wage theft has devastating consequences for men and women across industries, from construction to hospitality to fast food and retail. Many victims are raising families and are forced to make impossible choices when their employers steal from them. Low-income immigrant and communities of color are among the hardest hit.
“I worked in a restaurant and my employer did not pay for several weeks. My life turned upside down. I didn’t have any money coming in so my bills were all late. I wasn’t able to pay rent or for my son’s daycare. The stress of it all was so much my wife ended up leaving me. All because my boss refused to pay me the money I was owed,” said Massachusetts wage theft victim Alexsandro.
For more information please visit StopMassWageTheft.org
ABOUT COMMUNITY LABOR UNITED
Community Labor United (CLU) is the convener of the Good Jobs, Strong Communities Campaign. CLU and its partners work to protect and promote the interests of working-class families in Massachusetts. Through coalition building, research and policy development, public education and grassroots mobilization, CLU moves policies that promote quality jobs and sustainable neighborhoods.
