A new report shows that wage theft in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties occurs not only in low-wage industries but also in professional and higher salary jobs, including those in the legal profession, at architecture and accounting firms, public and private schools and in medical fields.  The report, by the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy for the Florida Wage Theft Task Force, analyzed documented wage violations from two community-based organizations in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

It will be presented at a Miami-Dade County Commission meeting Tuesday, at the same time the commission will consider declaring Thursday A Day Against Wage Theft in Miami-Dade County. Other cities across the country are marking the day in a similar manner.  The report found that from August 2006 to August 2010, there were 3,697 wage violations reported in the two counties, and those violations were worth about $3.6 million in unpaid wages.

Wage theft is when workers are paid below the minimum wage, not paid for overtime, forced to work off the clock, have their time cards altered, are misclassified as independent contractors, or are simply not paid a wage for work performed. (click on link to read full story)