Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today released his Office’s inaugural “Working for Workers” report, which will be issued annually around the Labor Day holiday. The first edition of this report highlights the work of the Wage Theft Division in the Attorney General’s Office, established by Ellison in 2019.
"It is hard to afford your life and live with dignity if your boss is stealing money right out of your paycheck," said Attorney General Ellison. "Combating wage theft has become an increasingly important part of the modern struggle for a fair workplace. That’s why six months after taking office, I started a Wage Theft Division within the Office dedicated to investigating violations of Minnesota's wage theft laws and holding bad actors accountable. I am proud to release this inaugural ‘Working for Workers’ report, which highlights the excellent work this division does on behalf of Minnesotans. As long as I remain your Attorney General, this Office will always work for working people.”
The report details various examples of the Wage Theft Division’s efforts to enforce Minnesota law on behalf of workers, including litigation against Evergreen Dairy and settlements with 3M, Dolan Printing, PMC, Spectrum Plastics, and Valvoline. It also emphasizes more than two dozen instances of outreach conducted by the Office to Minnesota workers, worker organizations, and labor unions over the past year.
Additionally, the work of the Attorney General’s Advisory Task Force on Worker Misclassification continues. A new state law aimed at combating worker misclassification fraud was enacted this year based on recommendations from this Task Force.
Attorney General Ellison’s office provides a complaint form available in Spanish where workers can report instances of wage theft. Examples include paying less than minimum wage, requiring or allowing unpaid off-the-clock work, not paying overtime rates, withholding earned tips, unlawful paycheck deductions, not issuing final paychecks upon employment separation, and misclassifying employees as independent contractors.
Further information about wage theft and how Minnesotans are protected under the law can be found on the Wage Theft page of Attorney General Ellison’s website.
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