Working people deserve to be paid for all the hours they work. Yet each year, employers steal wages from hundreds of thousands of Ohio workers. Around 217,000 Ohioans are illegally paid less than minimum wage. They lose an average of $2,800 each. Employers target workers of all demographics, but women
Working people deserve to be paid for all the hours they work. Yet each year, employers steal wages from hundreds of thousands of Ohio workers. Nearly 217,000 Ohioans are illegally paid less than minimum wage. They lose an average of $2,800 each. Employers target workers of all demographics, but women
Good morning, Chair Hackett, Vice Chair Hottinger, Ranking Member Craig and members of the Committee. My name is Michael Shields and I am a researcher at Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization with the mission of creating a more prosperous, equitable, sustainable and inclusive Ohio. Thank you for
A coalition of Ohio organizations representing working people, churches, defense attorneys and others today called on the House Finance Committee to put a stop to an anticipated legislative attack against undocumented workers. In a letter to the House Finance Committee, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, The ACLU of Ohio, the
June 5, 2019 House Finance Committee Re: House Bill 80 Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Budget Dear members of the House Finance Committee, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, the ACLU of Ohio, The Ohio AFL-CIO, The Catholic Conference, the Central Ohio Worker Center, The Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, HOLA Ohio, Cleveland
Every Ohioan should live in a safe, healthy home, free from abuse. Domestic violence robs thousands of this most basic of needs. Nationally, there are insufficient resources to provide haven for victims of domestic violence. Resources are particularly strained in Ohio; 43 other states (including the District of Columbia) provide
Executive Summary Wage theft is a serious and underreported problem. The National Employment Law Project estimates that wage theft accounts for some $15 billion in nationwide losses each year and exceeds losses from shoplifting.[1] What’s worse, wage theft most often harms poor workers who are both most dependent on their
This past Wednesday, the last Chevy Cruze rolled off the assembly line at the General Motors (GM) Lordstown plant. Two days later, the plant went on “unallocated” status, leaving 1,600 Lordstown people out of a job. They are the latest of 4,500 workers displaced since GM cut third shift in
Last Friday marked the last day of operations at the General Motors (GM) Chevy Cruze plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The closure of the Lordstown plant is likely to have a ripple effect across the state. Already, GM suppliers, Lordstown Seating, Comprehensive Logistics, and Leadec Corporation, have filed notice of mass
A bill being introduced in the Ohio legislature to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023 would raise wages for about 2 million Ohio workers, according to a report released today by Policy Matters Ohio. They include 1.6 million workers now earning less than the current
Executive Summary Ohio’s minimum wage is too low to cover the basics. A full-time worker with a family of three earning the minimum wage falls $3,000 short of the poverty level. A $15 minimum wage phased in over four steps by 2023 would benefit 2 million Ohio workers. It would
Introduction Across Ohio, nonprofit organizations that fight poverty increasingly recognize the critical need for a living wage, yet budget constraints present challenges to making this a reality in their own organizations. Years of underinvestment through the state budget in safety net programs and local government have put a squeeze on
