It’s difficult, if not impossible, to precisely quantify how much of workers’ wages are stolen each year. But estimates go upwards of $3 BILLION just in New York State alone. This means that each second you spend reading this, $95 is stolen from New York workers. Each minute is about $5,700, and $342,000 every hour!

Donate to our spring match today so that we can continue to bring attention to the rampant wage theft happening to working people!

Mainstream politics in 2026 revolves largely around fearmongering about crime and fraud. It is true that crime and fraud are huge problems in the US, but not in the way mainstream narratives present. The truth is that the worst criminals and fraudsters wear suits and sit in boardrooms. They get paid big dollars to figure out how to wring out every last possible penny from working people, and they are more than willing to go beyond what is legal to do it.

LIJWJ fights against this by rallying community attention around wage theft, most recently on Long Island school construction projects. At a Workers’ Rights Board hearing just a few weeks ago, a board of commissioners assembled by LIJWJ received testimony from workers and union organizers about the rampant abuse and misuse of taxpayer funds building and maintaining our local schools. Keep an eye out because we’ll be releasing a report on this issue later this month!

We also fight other forms of extraction like predatory lending. We do this by supporting legislation as a part of the New York State Equity Agenda like the Stop Taking Our Pay (STOP) Act. The STOP Act targets predatory “earned wage access” apps that are payday loans in everything but name. They charge users upwards of 800% interest by calling what they take from borrowers fees and tips. These parasitic “fintech” apps have extracted over half a billion dollars from New York’s lowest earners since 2019.

LIJWJ stands as a countermeasure to the anti-worker narratives we see in the media and government. But our movement needs to grow and increase our volume to become louder than the billionaires! With your help LIJWJ can continue convening Workers’ Rights Boards and speaking up for workers across Long Island, and the state.

Please head to our Givebutter page and donate NOW to get us to our $20,000 goal! And don’t forget! Every dollar donated will be doubled for twice the impact. Donate before May 22nd and let’s fight for a future where workers are treated with respect, dignity and can earn their fair share! Anything you can give will really make a difference, especially if you select a recurring donation to become a monthly sustainer. The more support we have from people like yourself the stronger we can show up for workers!

In solidarity,

Long Island Jobs with Justice