April 15, 2011. The Florida Independent.
At least 1,400 members of the congregation-based organization PEACE (People Engaged in Active Community Efforts) were on hand Monday at Palm Beach Lakes High school to prompt state and local authorities to reject House Bill 241, which would render useless local anti-wage theft ordinances.
Father John D’Mello told The Florida Independent that PEACE supports an anti-wage theft ordinance for Palm Beach County that would create an easy, quick and low-cost administrative process for workers to recover earned wages from dishonest employers.
“Wage theft is a human problem,” PEACE has written. “Wage Theft may be viewed as a legal problem. Wage Theft is also a moral problem. It is an injustice when employers continue to get away with not paying or underpaying their workers.” (Read the full document below.)
D’Mello said that Palm Beach County Commissioners Paulette Burdick, Shelley Vana, Priscilla Taylor and Jess Santamaria agreed to write a letter telling legislators to stop House Bill 241 and its Senate counterpart.
D’Mello said participants also discussed the need to add deterrents, in the form of penalties, to the local ordinance for employers who cheat workers out of their wages.
The Republican majority in the House Judiciary Committee yesterday passed the House version of the bill.
