* A wave of shoplifting crimes are attracting
front-page news, while the $15bn stolen by corporations from
workers receives no coverage at all.*
Of course, what drives the headlines is notoriety. A video of someone
shoplifting is surprising, since we expect those thieves to try to
avoid notice. Theft of workers' wages happens quietly. It is a very
important problem, but it is not news.
People get arrested for stealing products from stores, but stealing
wages requires a lawsuit. The lawsuit requires private funds, and no
one will be arrested for the theft.
If bosses were arrested for stealing wages, they might stop. That is
the kind of crime that punishment ought to deter effectively.
So why don't we do that?
I suppose it is partly because business owners have more political
power than workers. But also because businesses do this by making
unfair rules and then enforcing them. To stop that requires a trial
to judge the rules.
If some of these rules were standardized by law, it would be easier
to arrest bosses for trying to impose illegal rules on workers.
Subcontracting work is popular partly because it allows the company or
agency that pays for the work to avoid responsibility for the work.
Cutting pay and speeding up the work are one common result; another is
that the work is done badly and people have no recourse for it. I
advocate laws to restrict subcontracting to a much lower level.