Go-between on wage disputes proposed for Philly

Philadelphia City Council will consider naming a “wage theft czar” to help people who are not being paid what they deserve. 

 

Councilman Bill Greenlee has proposed establishing the post in the city’s managing director’s office to act as a go-between when employees accuse a business of wage theft.

 

“Not being paid what you are supposed to be paid is the basic answer,” he said. “Being underpaid, skimming tips, not being paid overtime, those kind of things.”

While most of those issues are addressed by federal agencies, Greenlee said the coordinator would handle things much more quickly.

“Because if a person is not being paid properly, I don’t think an employer has a lot of argument,” he said Thursday.  “So we are hoping those things can be worked out very quickly instead of going through a long process with the feds.”

A hearing is expected on the proposal before the end of the year.