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Reports and Working Papers: Future of Work

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Care WorkIncarceration
Labor PolicyLow-Wage Work
Minimum Wage

All Work and No Pay: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City

Annette Bernhardt; Michael Spiller; Diana Polson
Social Forces; 2013

Despite three decades of scholarship on economic restructuring in the United States, employers' violations of minimum wage, overtime and other workplace laws remain understudied. This article begins to fill the gap by presenting evidence from a large-scale, original worker survey that draws on recent advances in sampling methodology to reach vulnerable workers. Our findings suggest that in America's three largest cities, violations of employment and labor laws are pervasive across low-wage industries and occupations, affecting a wide range of workers.

Short Hours, Long Hours: Hour Levels and Trends in the Retail Industry in the United States, Canada, and Mexico

Françoise Carré; Chris Tilly
W.E. Upjohn Institute; 2012

In settings where most workers have full-time schedules, hourly wages are appropriate primary indicators of job quality and worker outcomes. However, in sectors where full-time schedules do not dominate—primarily service-producing activities—total hours matter, in addition to hourly wages, for job quality and worker outcomes. In this paper we employ a sector-focused, comparative framework to further examine hours levels—measured as average weekly hours—and trends in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Examining the Underpinnings of Labor Standards Compliance in Low Wage Industries

David Weil
Russell Sage Foundation Working Paper; 2012

This study examines the relationship between compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal law regulating basic labor standards including the minimum wage, overtime, and child labor for the workforce and a set of business practices found in low wage industries: branding, franchising, and third-party management contracting.

Contract Form, Wage Flexibility and Employment

Thomas Lemieux; W. Bentley MacLeod; Daniel Parent
Working Paper; 2012

The current recession has shown, yet again, that theory and evidence are on a collision course. Competitive labor market theory predicts that downturns should have only modest e ffects on unemployment. A decrease in aggregate demand might lower output and the demand for labor, but this does not necessarily imply higher unemployment. Lower demand for labor leads to lower wages, with the consequence that some individuals might leave the labor market. The remaining workers need only lower their wage demands until suitable employment is found.

Wage and Hour Violations in Urban Labour Markets: A Comparison of Los Angeles, New York and Chicago

Ruth Milkman; Ana Luz González ; Peter Ikeler
Industrial Relations; 2012

This article compares violations of minimum wage laws and other labour standards in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Los Angeles has the highest violation rates, due to such factors as its industrial composition and disproportionately large number of small establishments, as well as its vast unauthorised immigrant population. In addition, Los Angeles’ higher rates reflect the stricter legal standards in California. We conclude that, although stronger workplace laws and regulations are crucial, in the absence of effective enforcement, they may fail to prevent workplace violations.