3 ms·

wage theft still vastly eclipses all retail theft, yet gets far fewer headlines… ask yourself why whenever you see the retail theft reporting hysteria the peop

wage theft still vastly eclipses all retail theft, yet gets far fewer headlines… ask yourself why whenever you see the retail theft reporting hysteria the people stealing from retail have very likely had more of their labor stolen than they’re lifting (it’s likely true for you too) https://fair.org/home/shoplifting-is-big-news-stealing-millions-from-workers-is-not/ https://fair.org/home/shoplifting-is-big-news-stealing-milli... https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-theft-bigger-problem-forms-theft-workers/ https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-theft-bigger-problem-fo...

robertlagrant 5y ago
I can't tell from that epi page what the percentages are. Some of it is pressuring people to stay late with no chance of overtime, which is "time theft" not "wage theft", for example.
bcj7393nsk 5y ago
> wage theft still vastly eclipses all retail theft, yet gets far fewer headlines… ask yourself why whenever you see the retail theft reporting hysteria Try to stop wage theft, get an unproductive conversation, or worse, get fired. Try to stop petty crime, get assaulted, or worse, get killed. There’s a reason no one gives a shit about wage theft: they simply don’t care.
- micromacrofoot 5y ago
  Funny that the companies reporting high volumes of retail theft are the same ones often perpetrating wage theft. CVS, for example, has paid out over $100 million in wage theft settlements. https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/cvs-health https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/cvs-health
giantg2 5y ago
"the people stealing from retail have very likely had more of their labor stolen than they’re lifting" I'm skeptical of that. Do you have any info on the demographics and work history of the perpetrators? I'd imagine that many are younger and may not have worked enough to have this be true. Even then, I doubt they're stealing from the company that stole from them, and it doesn't make it right.
- micromacrofoot 5y ago
  CVS alone has paid $100 million in wage theft settlements https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/cvs-health https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/cvs-health A single walgreens theft recently resulted in hundreds of news reports… walgreens’ multi-million wage theft settlement? outrageously less coverage
  - giantg2 5y ago
    Ok... your point?
    - micromacrofoot 5y ago
      that retail theft is over-reported and has serious social implications that are outsized for the scale of theft just look at some of the comments here, people calling for increased prosecution of the poor (including jail time) without a mention of the wider scale deeds of the companies most commonly being stolen from
      - giantg2 5y ago
        The examples you list are all ones that have resulted in punishments and compensation to the victims. Why would people be outraged with the system working as it should? Of course the news blows almost everything out of proportion, but the general public is more worried about thefts going unpunished with seemingly no recourse.
        micromacrofoot 5y ago
        Wage theft is also notoriously underreported, and even when reported, the amount recovered through litigation is a small sliver. These are thefts impacting thousands and thousands of people going unpunished without recourse. The companies paying settlements are huge and the settlements are a slap on the wrist. No one sees jail time, no one even loses their job. Meanwhile CVS and Walgreens are pitching a fit about a homeless person stealing $200 of baby formula to resell to a slightly less poor person and commenters are making calls for increased punishment.

robertlagrant 5y ago

I can't tell from that epi page what the percentages are. Some of it is pressuring people to stay late with no chance of overtime, which is "time theft" not "wage theft", for example.

bcj7393nsk 5y ago

> wage theft still vastly eclipses all retail theft, yet gets far fewer headlines… ask yourself why whenever you see the retail theft reporting hysteria Try to stop wage theft, get an unproductive conversation, or worse, get fired. Try to stop petty crime, get assaulted, or worse, get killed. There’s a reason no one gives a shit about wage theft: they simply don’t care.

micromacrofoot 5y ago
Funny that the companies reporting high volumes of retail theft are the same ones often perpetrating wage theft. CVS, for example, has paid out over $100 million in wage theft settlements. https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/cvs-health https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/cvs-health

giantg2 5y ago

"the people stealing from retail have very likely had more of their labor stolen than they’re lifting" I'm skeptical of that. Do you have any info on the demographics and work history of the perpetrators? I'd imagine that many are younger and may not have worked enough to have this be true. Even then, I doubt they're stealing from the company that stole from them, and it doesn't make it right.

micromacrofoot 5y ago
CVS alone has paid $100 million in wage theft settlements https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/cvs-health https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/cvs-health A single walgreens theft recently resulted in hundreds of news reports… walgreens’ multi-million wage theft settlement? outrageously less coverage
- giantg2 5y ago
  Ok... your point?
  - micromacrofoot 5y ago
    that retail theft is over-reported and has serious social implications that are outsized for the scale of theft just look at some of the comments here, people calling for increased prosecution of the poor (including jail time) without a mention of the wider scale deeds of the companies most commonly being stolen from
    - giantg2 5y ago
      The examples you list are all ones that have resulted in punishments and compensation to the victims. Why would people be outraged with the system working as it should? Of course the news blows almost everything out of proportion, but the general public is more worried about thefts going unpunished with seemingly no recourse.
      - micromacrofoot 5y ago
        Wage theft is also notoriously underreported, and even when reported, the amount recovered through litigation is a small sliver. These are thefts impacting thousands and thousands of people going unpunished without recourse. The companies paying settlements are huge and the settlements are a slap on the wrist. No one sees jail time, no one even loses their job. Meanwhile CVS and Walgreens are pitching a fit about a homeless person stealing $200 of baby formula to resell to a slightly less poor person and commenters are making calls for increased punishment.