Every worker, no matter what field they work in, has protected rights to legal wage compensation for the work that they do.
Experiencing minimum wage violations, skipped overtime pay, or back wage issues demands a righting of these wrongs and the appropriate payment.
Back wages in different industries
The U.S. Department of Labor discusses compliance actions taken due to back wages. Unfortunately, data shines an unpleasant light on the statistics related to back wages.
In 2021 alone, over 24,700 compliance actions happened due to back wages. Health workers in this time period had over $38 million in back wages, while construction workers had over $36 million in back wages.
Those serving in the retail industry saw roughly $13 million in back wages. Meanwhile, food workers saw $34 million in back wages. These numbers all seem shockingly high but are an unfortunate truth about the reality that numerous workers face.
Understanding back wages
The DOL helped over 190,000 employees and workers with financial assistance. They also distributed important information on the true dangers and risks of back pay problems, which some workers do not have a strong understanding or awareness of despite its prevalence among all varieties of workers.
Many workers struggled with covering childcare costs, paying for their food, and even making their rent payments. The true financial impact of back pay can create enormous difficulties for anyone, especially if these issues last for a significant period of time.
This is why many of these workers then went on to seek compensation, and to right the wrongs that their back pay issues created.
