Mobilizing Frontline Workers Against Wage Theft

Abstract

We use an original survey of frontline U.S. workers in five low-wage industries to investigate the prevalence of perceived wage theft and the effectiveness of messages aimed at mobilizing in response. We find that over 14% of workers report recent incidents of late- or underpayment. These workers are both more supportive of union representation and more willing to search for a new job. Using an embedded survey experiment, we study workers’ willingness to respond to a “call to action” on behalf of coworkers experiencing wage theft. Whether the call to action comes from a hypothetical neighbor or a coworker, mobilizing messages are equally effective at increasing a willingness to take a variety of actions. We also uncover important gender differences; our treatment effects are detectable only among female respondents. The findings are consistent with a “whole worker” approach to organizing while also highlighting wage theft as a salient issue, especially among women.