Imagine having to clock in mid-shift to avoid getting paid overtime, but not leaving for another hour or two. Having to take a break but work on it, or having a paid vacation taken away as if it never existed? Situations related to these are reality and are classified as wage theft, defined by the wage theft website as "a series of infractions that occur when workers do not receive legally or contractually promised wages." The public is generally uneducated about the concept of wage theft and the effects it has on our society, let alone what can be done about it. The Wage Theft Prevention Act, an act established in 2011 by the state of New York, provides laws to protect working citizens and is an act that should be effective nationwide. As a country, we support the terms “freedom”, “equality” and “rights”; However, we must focus on the working citizens of the United States and ensure equal rights for all. The wage theft website indicates that wage theft is not a stereotype and the problem is not primarily specific to specific job sectors. No worker can avoid wage theft in particular, whether it's good wages or great benefits. Wage theft is more likely to occur in non-union workplaces. Industries such as agriculture, cleaning services, retail and restaurants are among the most reported cases of wage theft. Wage theft includes but is not limited to: not paying all hours worked or not paying overtime, not paying minimum wage or not paying at all. Incidents classified as wage theft most often violate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which provides a federal minimum wage but allows states to set their own minimum wage increased above the federal minimum wage and requires employers to pay… half of the document ......%2C0>.Fox, Emily Jane, ed. "McDonald's Workers Sue for Wage Theft." CNN money. Np, March 13, 2014.Web. April 23, 2014. wage theft class action. Hsu, Tiffany, ed. “Nearly 90% of fast food workers report wage theft, survey finds.” Los Angeles Times. Np, 1 April 2014. Web. 23 April 2014. business/la-fi-mo-sondaggio-furto-salario-fast-food-20140331>. Johnson, Stefon. "Workers Protest 'Wage Theft'." New York Amsterdam News May 23, 2013: 10.Academic research completed. Network. May 5, 2014. New York State Department of Labor Wage Theft Prevention Act. New York State Department of Labor PDF file. Shortchanged: A study of unpaid wages in Rhode Island. Laboral Fuerza, 2013. PDF file."What is wage theft?" Wage theft. Np, nd Web. April 25. 2014. .