Unregulated Work in the Global City

Last week, our colleague Annette Bernhardt and her team released Unregulated Work in the Global City, a report describing how the systematic violation of federal, state, and local law is threatening to become a way of life in New York City's major low-wage industries.

Over three years, their intensive research documented a city where jobs pay less than minimum wage, and sometimes nothing at all; where employers do not pay overtime for 60-hour weeks, and deny meal breaks that are required by law; where vital health and safety regulations are routinely ignored, even after injuries occur; and where workers are subject to blatant discrimination, and retaliated against for speaking up or trying to organize.

The report focuses on New York City, but the authors believe these conditions exist throughout the American economy.

Read the full report, or check out the individual industry profiles. Also check out the commentary on The Nation blog and TPM Cafe.