CUP: Store

Talking Trash: Throwing Out the Big Apple

City Studies

Pay Up!

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that workers in New York City are cheated out of almost $1 billion every year. Across New York State, workers lose almost $3 billion every year to wage theft! What’s wage theft? How does wage theft impact New Yorkers? How can we protect against wage theft?

In the fall of 2019, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Stephanie Echeveste and the International Community High School’s (ICHS) 11th grade to explore wage theft and how it impacts local communities. To investigate, students got out of the classroom to speak with their peers and community members, created art, and interviewed key stakeholders working on the issue.

The group gathered what they learned and created this booklet to teach others about wage theft and what they can do to make sure employers pay up!