How companies rip off poor employees — and get away with it U.S. companies that cheat their workers out of pay are unlikely to be fined or punished even after they're caught, The Center for Public Integrity found. Author: ALEXIA FERNÁNDEZ CAMPBELL and JOE YERARDI (The Center for Public Integrity) Published: 6:48 AM MST May 4, 2021 Updated: 6:48 AM MST May 4, 2021 Already battered by long shifts and high infection rates, essential workers struggling through the pandemic face another hazard of hard times: employers who steal their wages. When a recession hits, U.S. companies are more likely to stiff their lowest-wage workers. These businesses often pay less than the minimum wage, make employees work off the clock, or refuse to pay overtime rates. In the most egregious cases, bosses don’t pay their employees at all.