If you are a worker in Iowa, there is a good chance you’re being robbed, and you may not even know it.

The most common form of theft in the U.S. is not committed via petty crime. It’s wage theft.

Every year, Iowa workers do not receive an estimated $900 million owed to them, according to Common Good Iowa. This includes overtime violations, minimum wage violations, forced work off the clock, and other violations. 

Wage theft is one of the most serious and overlooked issues in the U.S. Law enforcement must do more to prevent wage theft, and our lawmakers must do more to protect workers. 

Workers who are affected by wage theft are primarily low-wage workers. In the 10 most populous states, 2.4 million workers lose $8 billion annually to minimum wage violations, according to the Economic Policy Institute. 

This averages out to about $3,300 per year per worker. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that wage theft affects 17 percent of low-wage workers. 

Law enforcement must be more vigilant about preventing wage theft. Workers are protected from wage theft under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Even those who are not authorized to work in the U.S. are protected under this law.

The Fair Labor Standards Act was enacted to protect workers from exploitation from their employers. This includes establishing regulations such as minimum wage and requirements for overtime pay. 

It is one problem that workers are being robbed of millions in plain sight. It is another that so little is being done to get it back and prevent it from happening again.

In Iowa, for every $1,000 stolen via wage theft, just $2 are recovered by public agencies. This loses the state over $190 million in tax revenue.

Wage theft is illegal in Iowa, and it’s time for the government to start doing more to protect workers. The government must take measures to ensure wage theft does not happen in the first place, and if it does happen, enact strong punishments on those who rob their workers.

To prevent wage theft, the state should make it easier to file wage theft claims, make stronger anti-retaliation laws, and hire more investigators to look into claims.

Furthermore, the punishments for wage theft must be firmer. Many employers who get caught stealing from their workers do not face adequate penalties, which promotes further wage theft. The courts must hand out sentences of large fines and considerable jail time to those who are convicted of stealing from their employees,

It is crucial to recognize that the government will not take these steps to protect workers willingly. In 2015, a Republican-led House shot down a bill that would have protected co-workers who testify against employers from retaliation and required employers to keep records on terms of employment, according to The Cedar Rapids Gazette.

The only way workers will get the protections they deserve is by putting pressure on the state and forcing the government’s hand. This could be achieved through actions such as strikes and walk-outs.

Action from workers would also bring attention to the issue and shift the narrative. Many people who aren’t getting paid what they are owed may not even realize it, or may think it’s just an unfortunate reality of being a worker.

Workers stand up and take what they are owed.

It is beyond time for Iowa and the U.S. to stand up against predatory employers who steal from their own employees, but if the government is ever going to take such actions, it will only be because mass amounts of workers joined together and demanded they get what they deserve.

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.