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Every worker deserves to be paid fully and fairly for the hours they work. The dignity of work is one of the most basic promises a community can make to its people. For too many workers and their families, that promise is broken by their employers. Too often paychecks fall short, overtime goes unpaid, or wage laws are ignored. This isn’t just a technical payroll violation, it’s a loss of financial stability and trust.
Wage theft takes many forms. It can mean not paying for every hour worked, underpaying overtime, or misclassifying employees to avoid providing healthcare, time off, or retirement benefits. In most cases, the impact reaches far beyond a single worker. Families who don’t receive their full wages struggle to pay rent or a mortgage, afford childcare or healthcare, or keep a car on the road to get to work. A few missing paychecks can set off a cascade of financial stress that affects the financial stability and opportunity of our neighbors, families, and loved ones.
Unfortunately, the problem is not limited to a few bad actors. The City of Denver received nearly a thousand wage theft complaints last year. The Denver Auditor’s Office also investigates wage theft.
National studies estimate billions of dollars in unpaid wages across the United States. Most victims of wage theft are hourly workers, the very people who do essential jobs that keep our cities and our communities running. These workers often lack the time, resources, or legal support to fight for what they’ve already earned, so instances go unresolved.
Wage theft is an issue of fairness and an economic stability issue. When workers aren’t paid, families are forced to cut back on groceries and services, which hurts small businesses and hurts our neighborhoods. Law-abiding employers are also punished because companies that break wage rules can underbid honest contractors. Fair pay is how we keep the economy balanced and competitive and it’s how we defend the dignity of work.
In order to address wage theft, folks deserve speed, accountability, and transparency. Wage theft claims must be resolved quickly. Workers should not have to wait months for back pay. Timely investigations help both employees and the honest employers in our communities move forward.
Repeat offenders should also face meaningful consequences. Public contracts should not be awarded to employers who repeatedly fail to follow wage rules and those that repeatedly violate the people who work for them should be held accountable.
Also, residents should be able to see when progress is made. When enforcement data and outcomes are published openly, confidence grows that the process works for everyone.
Our cities should also strengthen their focus on preventing wage theft, not just resolving it once it happens. The most efficient enforcement is preventative. That means clear public information that is understandable, multilingual, and uses both physical and digital tools for easy compliance for employers. It also means setting clear expectations in contracting so that every subcontractor knows that paying people what they are owed is non-negotiable.
The right to payment for our labor is essential to preserve fairness in our economy. When paychecks are fair, families and small businesses thrive. When folks compete on an even playing field, public trust grows and opportunity improves. As we talk about affordability in Denver, we should also recognize that every dollar earned by a worker preserves that worker’s basic dignity and ability to survive. A dollar earned is a dollar that should be paid.
A city that respects the dignity of work earns the respect and trust of its people. Denver and our neighboring communities lead by showing fairness, transparency, and accountability.
Erik Clarke is a financial and audit executive based in Denver, Colorado. He oversees finance, accounting, audit, legal, and technology functions in the private sector and has a background in public sector auditing focused on construction, cybersecurity, and performance management.
