More workers are getting stiffed just when they need their pay the most.

Complaints of wage theft have risen as the economy tumbled. Allegations range from underpayment to not getting paid at all.

"It's definitely on the rise nationally because of the economic crisis," says Ted Smukler, public policy director of Interfaith Worker Justice, a Chicago organization that advocates for better wages, benefits and working conditions. "Employers are desperate to shave corners when their profits are going down, and some are just greedy."

Wage theft is most common among low-wage earners and day laborers, he says. It affects non-immigrants and immigrants, legal and illegal.

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