Wage theft & mistreatment, job by job
Plain-language guides to how wage theft and mistreatment show up in specific lines of work — the patterns to watch for and how to build a dated record of what happened. Free to read, no account needed. For the current dollar figures and rules where you live, see your state’s page and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Wage theft for rideshare and delivery drivers — how to spot it and document it
How rideshare and delivery drivers get underpaid — misclassification, mileage, missing tips, and dead time — and how to build a dated record of it.
Wage theft for restaurant and food-service workers — how to spot it and document it
How servers, cooks, and food-service staff get underpaid — stolen tips, the tip credit, unpaid sidework, and off-the-clock prep — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for retail and commission sales workers — how to spot it and document it
How retail and commission sellers get underpaid — clawbacks, draws, unpaid overtime, and off-the-clock tasks — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for care and home-health workers — how to spot it and document it
How caregivers and home-health aides get underpaid — unpaid travel between clients, sleep-time and live-in rules, and off-the-clock care — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for construction and trades workers — how to spot it and document it
How construction and trades workers get underpaid — 1099 misclassification, cash-in-hand, prevailing-wage games, and unpaid overtime — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for warehouse and logistics workers — how to spot it and document it
How warehouse and logistics workers get underpaid — off-the-clock screening, rounding, unpaid pre-shift time, and denied overtime — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for cleaners and janitorial workers — how to spot it and document it
How cleaners and janitors get underpaid — per-unit pay, unpaid travel between sites, off-the-clock time, and subcontracting layers — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for salon and beauty workers — how to spot it and document it
How stylists, nail techs, and beauty workers get underpaid — booth-rent misclassification, product fees, commission games, and taken tips — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for farm and agricultural workers — how to spot it and document it
How farmworkers get underpaid — piece-rate shortfalls, unpaid pre-work, illegal deductions, and labor-contractor layers — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for hospitality and hotel workers — how to spot it and document it
How hotel and hospitality staff get underpaid — service-charge vs tip confusion, per-room quotas, off-the-clock work, and on-call time — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for freelancers and independent contractors — how to spot it and document it
How freelancers and contractors get stiffed — unpaid invoices, misclassification, scope creep, and kill fees — and how to build a dated record.
Wage theft for security guards — how to spot it and document it
How security guards get underpaid — unpaid post-relief and briefing time, on-call and meal breaks not relieved, and denied overtime — and how to build a dated record.
These pages are general information for the US, not legal advice, and the specifics vary by state — confirm the current details at dol.gov or your state labor department before relying on them.