City Council Petitions State on Wage Theft Issue

After months of petitioning from labor advocates requesting solidarity in the fight against wage theft, the New Brunswick City Council last week passed a resolution asking the state to permit municipalities more control in drafting measures to address it in their respective towns. 

Wage theft refers to the practice of an employer improperly withholding wages earned by employees. Immigrant and low-income populations are especially at risk of wage theft, and are advocated for in New Brunswick by the nonprofit group New Labor. 

New Labor, along with Unity Square, has been working with the city council to supply information and guidance on how an ordinance could be drafted to address wage theft in the city.

At the Nov. 20 meeting, council president Rebecca Escobar said the council went ahead and drafted an ordinance, but it had to be reworked as it contained penalties that were not permitted by state law. 

Unity Square's Jason Rowe said the state does not permit municipalities to change penalties dictated by the state in regards to unfair labor practices such as wage theft, nor can a municipality add on their own penalties.

The purpose of the resolution was to make a case to the state to allow individual municipalities to have more control over how they handle it in their communities, especially in a place like New Brunswick, Rowe said. 

Escobar said an ordinance should be on the agenda no later than January.