The wage theft committee has collected several outstanding debts during the holidays. One sad experience was that a check that was turned over by the employer bounced, leaving the worker not only without that money but also with a fee from the check cashing service.
In another situation, CoFiA is helping to collect on “a long drawn out case of slow justice.” The New Jersey Department of Labor worked out an arrangement with a contractor to pay five men several thousand dollars they were owed from one contractor. Unfortunately, the judgment only requires the contractor to pay $100 per month. The DOL holds the money until they have collected $1000, and then sends a check in care of CoFiA. The committee members meet with the men to divide up the money. They report that the men are very understanding about the long process; without CoFiA’s help they would not have received any back pay.