Coming Sunday: Illinois workers who filed wage theft claims are still waiting for millions
CHICAGO (CBS) -- According to one estimate from the nonprofit think tank Economic Policy Institute, reported and unreported wage theft could amount to as much as $50 billion per year owed to workers.
A CBS News Investigation found that if an employer takes money from their employees' paychecks, there is a good chance they'll get away with it.
Meanwhile, CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey has been digging into the massive issue of wage theft specifically in Illinois. She discovered that despite filing claims, Illinois workers are still waiting for tens of millions of dollars.
It can happen in a lot of ways – including missing tips or overtime - or in the case of one worker we talked to, a company not mailing a paycheck altogether.
Even if it's small amounts, that missing money can make a huge impact over time.
Jose Neri is from Mexico and lives in Wauconda. He got a job in April 2021 with a home and office cleaning business – working at a Target store – but he never got his paycheck at the end of the week.
Neri said he asked the cleaning company to resend it many times. and believes they were taking advantage of his immigration status and difficulty with English.
Neri filed a claim with the state and finally got that paycheck — but it took a full year.
According to Illinois Department of Labor data obtained by CBS News, Illinois workers claim they've been shorted more than $194 million dollars since 2017. And the "successful" wage theft claims total nearly $23 million.
More than 3,000 wage theft cases — worth $22 million — remain open.
Neri got his money in a year. But the oldest open case dates back to April 2019. The person who filed that case is waiting for more $24,000.
"Don't be scared," Neri said. "Fight for your rights."
A lot of people have fought for their money and won, but it's not in their hands yet. We discovered a huge pot of money that the state hasn't doled out.
We'll also tell you how to check if there's money with your name on it - coming up this Sunday after the AFC Championship Game on CBS 2.