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Fair Work Center authors urge King County to fund community enforcement and build county labor‑standards capacity
Summary
Presenters of a 2022 Fair Work Center report told the King County committee that wage theft remains widespread in low‑wage industries, that under‑resourced enforcement agencies leave many workers without remedy, and recommended a two‑phase plan: fund community outreach and data collection, then build enforcement capacity at the county level.
Marty Garfinkel, consulting attorney and co‑author of a 2022 Fair Work Center report, and Jeremiah Miller, legal director at Fair Work Center, briefed the King County Health, Housing and Human Services Committee on May 6 about findings and recommendations to strengthen wage‑theft enforcement.
The nut graf: The authors told the committee that wage theft — unpaid wages, missed final paychecks, overtime violations and similar breaches — disproportionately affects workers in hospitality, childcare, home health and related sectors, and that enforcement gaps leave vulnerable workers without effective remedies. Their report recommends a two‑phase approach: (1) county funding for community organizations to provide education, outreach and data gathering; and (2) a later, evidence‑based expansion of county enforcement capacity.
Key findings and evidence
- Scale and scope: The presenters…
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