Wage Violations Targeted in Latest State Legislative Proposals

Massachusetts’ latest proposal to counter wage violations would emulate a heavily disputed California employment law by authorizing workers to sue employers on behalf of the state for wage payment violations, potentially letting them escape mandatory arbitration.

The bill is one of several ideas that Massachusetts and other states are considering in order to crack down on violations that are sometimes called wage theft, which is notoriously difficult to police.

But attorneys who represent large employers fear the states’ efforts—including a newly enacted Colorado law and New York legislation that stalled but could resurface next year—would bring heightened fines, increased litigation, ...