Unpaid Wages Issue Takes Center Stage at DC City Council Hearing

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Dozens of Wage Theft Coalition activists packed the halls of the Wilson Building for hours yesterday as workers prepared to testify on the issue of wage theft in the District. Before heading into the hearing, activists stopped City Councilmember Marion Barry to thank him for his work to prevent wage theft and hand him an oversized “bill” for the remaining unpaid wages in the District, which the DC Employment Justice Center has calculated to be about $260,000. “I was a victim of wage theft” said David Melendez, a worker preparing to testify before Barry. “I want [Councilmembers] to know what is happening in the community. Not just to me, but the whole community deals with this.” Melendez, a member of Trabajadores Unidos, said he was grateful for the many activists who had turned out to show their support. “Wage theft is a big issue in the restaurant industry” said Lizbeth Mateo of the DC Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC-DC), adding that ROC-DC was present to “make sure the Council takes action” to stop wage theft. Metro Council President Jos Williams spoke at the hearing, telling Councilmember Barry that the local labor movement is standing firmly behind the Wage Theft Coalition. Click here for more on the Coalition and ways to get involved. - report/photos by Julia Kann