Workers Update

More than 200,000 workers across the country are owed $163.3 million in back pay, according to a website maintained by the Department of Labor. This is money companies have paid after they were found liable for wage theft violations — like withholding tips from workers — but has not been claimed.  Workers who believe they are owed wages can check the DOL website, Worker Owed Wages. Other forms of wage theft include pressuring workers to work off-the-clock, cutting lunch breaks short, deliberately paying below the minimum wage, and failing to pay overtime.Currently, the largest amount of unclaimed back wages is in food services. More than 36,000 food service workers have yet to claim wages that they are owed, USA Today reports.

If you’ve been on the hunt for a more affordable place to live, you’re in good company: Two-thirds of Americans say it’s difficult to find affordable housing in their area. Luckily, some cities are still managing to check the boxes when it comes to more accessible price points. Financial services company Empower released a list of the 20 most affordable U.S. cities for working adults, based on home prices, average income, cost of living, and employment rates. 

President Biden renominated Julie Su to serve as Labor secretary on Monday. Biden originally nominated Su for the role in February 2023.“Her strong pro-worker track record as Acting Secretary shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is the right person for the job. Her tireless and consistent work for working families across the country should continue as Secretary of Labor and I urge my colleagues to support her nomination,” Senator Bernie Sanders said in a statement.