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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Maryland worst state for wage theft, study finds

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Friday, January 31, 2025   

An analysis of U.S. Labor Department data by financial education organization Goat Academy finds Maryland leads the nation in the average wages stolen from workers.

Maryland led all 50 states in the average amount of wages owed to employees, at more than $2,200. Bay State neighbors Delaware and Virginia trailed Maryland with the second and third highest averages.

Amy Gellatly, an attorney in the Workplace Justice Project at the Public Justice Center, said those figures may just be the tip of the iceberg.

"There's so many structural barriers to get a worker to the point where they feel confident that they know their rights are being violated," she said. "They decide they want to do something about it; they know where to go."

Gellatly added that workers in certain industries historically have issues with wage theft, including those in construction, home care, cleaning services, food services and retail.

Misclassification, Gellatly said, is also a major issue in wage theft, when an employer classifies an employee as an independent contractor. Independent contractors don't receive the same benefits as an employee, such as unemployment insurance or workers compensation if injured on the job.

Gellatly said Maryland could, like other states, pass a law that a person who does work for another is considered an employee, not a contractor. She added that people could be considered contractors if they are really in business for themselves -- and setting the conditions of their labor.

"What we're seeing across the country is like the 'gigafication' of work," she said. "So, you have the entity that really is in control of setting the terms and conditions of a person's employment, but they won't directly hire the worker, as a way to try to separate themselves from responsibility and then turn a blind eye."

In total, more than $128 million in back wages are owed to U.S. employees.


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