Legislation was recently introduced into the Ohio General Assembly to discourage employers from tampering with employees' agreed-upon wages, and to ensure that employees receive their full pay.

Sen. Sue Morano, D-Lorain, sponsor of Senate Bill 212, said wage theft - the act of an employer not paying an employee for total time worked - is a very serious problem and that thousands of Ohio workers are affected by it.

"Wage theft is a very real problem across the nation and here in Ohio. Too many hard working Ohioans are being cheated out of the wages they've earned," Morano said.

SB 212 would expand the Department of Commerce's enforcement abilities to investigate complaints beyond the scope of minimum wage, since state statute currently only authorizes the Department of Commerce to investigate and resolve violations of the Ohio Constitution's minimum wage requirements, said Morano.

The bill caps the claim investigations for individuals who earn more than $100,000, as it is intended to target low-income individuals who earn more than minimum wage, she added.

Employees who earn more than minimum wage but are cheated out of their earnings are unable to file complaints with the department for the full amount of unpaid wages, as the department is limited to requiring minimum-wage-per-hour restitution for victims, said Morano.

"An individual who earns $10 per hour is only able to pursue $7.30 per hour of unpaid wages when filing a complaint with the Department of Commerce," she explained.

Employees are able to take civil action regarding unpaid wages, but it is often a difficult route for them due to the current economic climate, she added. Due to the length of time in civil action cases, the court costs, and the costs of lost hours of work, many employees are obligated to simply forgo the lost wages without seeking any action.

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