Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Politics & Society
Volume
38
Publication Date
2010
Keywords
enforcement, immigrant, labor standards, FLSA, community
Abstract
Structures of employment in low-wage industries, a diminished wage and hour inspectorate, and an unworkable immigration regime have combined to create an environment where violations of basic workplace laws are everyday occurrences. This article identifies four “logics” of detection and enforcement, arguing that there is a mismatch between the enforcement strategies of most federal and state labor inspectorates and the industries in which noncompliance continues to be a problem. In response, the authors propose augmenting labor inspectorates by giving public interest groups like unions and worker centers a formal, ongoing role in enforcement in low-wage sectors. In three case studies, the authors present evidence of an emergent system—one that harkens back to a logic proposed by the drafters of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) but never implemented—of empowering those closest to the action to work in partnership with government.
Recommended Citation
Janice Fine and Jennifer Gordon,
Strengthening Labor Standards Enforcement through Partnerships with Workers’ Organizations, 38 Politics & Society 552
(2010)
Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scholarship/1154