Even for those workers who aren’t in a union, fighting wage theft is vital because it can scare off potential bad actors who see the consequences others face for theft and decide it’s not worth it to try exploiting workers themselves. Finally, even nonworkers benefit from our fight, because once recovered, those stolen wages go back into the economy and back to taxpayers.
Since news first emerged about the delayed public bonds, answers about what’s gone wrong, how the problem will be solved, and the scale of the private financing gap have been hard to come by.
Terry O Sullivan has led the Laborers’ International Union of North America since 2000. His replacement, Brent Booker, is LIUNA vice president and a third-generation member of the union.