Wage theft is the deliberate withholding or underpayment of wages by employers. On November 18, workers across the country will hold a series of events to focus attention on the problem. Interfaith Worker Justice is a Chicago-based organization that helps workers across the country who have been treated unfairly. The organization is supported by numerous religious organizations and is founded on the principle that worker justice is a shared value across faith traditions. GLT's Judy Valente explored the scope of the problem of wage theft with Interfaith Worker Justice executive director, Rudy Lopez.
Lopez says the worker justice movement has gained a powerful new ally in Pope Francis, who told the U.S. Congress in September that he wanted to speak for "the thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day's work." The Pope has called for an economy based on moral values.