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Phila. City Council To Pass Bill To Create Office To Investigate Wage Thefts

By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia City Council is expected to pass a bill Thursday that would create an office in city government to investigate wage theft complaints. The problem is considered to be widespread in Philadelphia.

"There's a study that shows there are 90,000 incidents of wage theft per week," says Nadie Hewka, an attorney for Community Legal Services.

She says sees a lot of those cases but, more often, she says, the victims don't know what to do or where to turn, a situation the bill would remedy.

 

"It would create an office where people could go and wouldn't need a lawyer and could get their wage theft situation handled."

Hewka says the problem costs not just workers but the city money-- since it loses the taxes on the unpaid wages. She says other cities that have created the job have seen the cases settled much faster.

"We're hoping this will be an easier, more user-friendly way to resolve these claims."

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