Res No 057-14-14151RESOLUTION NO. 57-14-14151
A Resolution urging the Florida Legislature to enact, during the 2014 session,
a statewide wage theft law modeled after the Miami-Dade County, Broward
County, and Alachua County Wage Theft Ordinances.
WHEREAS, wage theft is when workers are paid below the minimum wage, not paid for
overtime, forced to work off the clock, have their time cards altered, are misclassified as
independent contractors, or are simply not paid a wage for work performed; and
WHEREAS, a 2012 report by the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy as
part of a series of reports monitoring the growing problem of wage theft in Florida analyzed data
from the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and estimated that nearly 60-90
million dollars are stolen from Florida's workforce, impacting communities, law abiding
employers, and state and local economies; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade was the first county in the state to adopt a countywide wage
theft law on February 28,2010; and
WHEREAS, in October 23, 2012, the Board of County Commissioners of Broward
County became the second county in Florida to enact a wage theft ordinance; and
WHEREAS, in April, 2013, the Alachua County Commission became the third county in
Florida to enact a wage theft ordinance; and
WHEREAS, wage theft is a problem not limited to Miami-Dade, Broward and Alachua
Counties and occurs across the State of Florida; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission for the City of South Miami desire to
encourage the Florida Legislature to pass a statewide wage theft law based on the model of the
Miami-Dade, Broward, and Alachua County wage theft ordinances.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSIONERS OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The City Commission for the City of South Miami urges the Florida
Legislature to enact, during the 2014 session, a statewide wage theft law modeled after the
Miami-Dade, Broward, and Alachua County wage theft ordinances.
Section 2. The City Clerk is hereby directed to transmit electronic copies of the
resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker and the Chair and Members of the
Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation, the Mayor and Members of the Miami-Dade
County Board of County Commissioners, the Mayor and Members of the Broward County Board
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Res. No. 57-14-14151
of County Commissioners, and the Mayor and Members of the Alachua County Board of County
Commissioners.
Section 3. The City Commission for the City of South Miami hereby directs its
lobbyist to advocate for the issue identified in Section 1 above, and to advocate for the inclusion
of the matter in, or for its addition as an amendment to, the 2014 state legislative session agenda
package.
Section 4. Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is for
any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding shall
not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution.
Section 5. Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon
adoption by vote of the City Commission.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this ~tlay of_A-,,--p_r_i_l ___ , 2014.
ATTEST: APPROVED:
#~
MAYOR
COMMISSION VOTE: 5-0
Mayor Stoddard: Yea
Vice Mayor Harris: Yea
Commissioner Edmond: Yea
Commissioner Liebman: Yea
Commissioner Welsh: Yea
Page 2 of2
Members of the Florida State Legislature:
Wage Theft, or the nonpayment of wages e~lrned by workers, is an epidemic in Florida. ~s
you know, it takes on many fonns including being paid less than the minimum wage, working
"off the clock" without pay, getting paid less than time and a half for overtime hours, or having
illegal deductions taken out of paychecks.
A 2012 study by the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy (RISEP) at Florida
International University, estimated that nearly 60-90 million dollars are stolen from Florida's
workforce, impacting communities, law abiding employers, and state and local economies.
I am calling on you to protect victims of Wage Theft and VOTE "NO" on HB 957 and SB 926,
which are backed by corporate special interests like the Florida Retail Federation. These bills
will prevent 64 counties from establishing programs to protect their own residents from Wage
Theft. The bills also freeze the Wage Theft ordinances that are already in place in Miami-Dade,
Broward and Alachua Counties, which would prevent local governments from amending their
own ordinances. The Florida Retail Federation wants to force Wage Theft victims into an
overloaded and slow court system instead of allowing counties to set up their own efficient and
inexpensive local Wage Theft programs, which prioritize conciliation rather than court.
I would also urge you to pass a statewide wage theft law modeled after the successful Miami-
Dade, Broward and Alachua County Wage Theft Ordinances during the 2014 legislative session.
Wage Theft programs work! As of December 2013, Miami-Dade County's Wage Theft program
has awarded a total of$I,875,189 dollars to Wage Theft victims.
The negative effects of shortchanging workers' wages ripple across communities and the
economy. Families suffer when earnings are too low to meet basic needs. Local businesses and
economics are denied vital stimulus that would flow from additional spending had workers been
paid all that they had earned. Honest businesses are undermined by unscrupulous competitors
who practice Wage Theft. And governments at all levels take a hit, because they are denied tax
revenues generated by higher earnings and because many working families must resOli to public
programs to meet basic needs when wages fall short.
Protect victims of Wage Theft and take action today!
Sincerely,
Local Elected Officials