NOTRE DAME, IN.— Students with the Notre Dame Student Policy Network (SPN) were recognized in a new report by the Economic Policy Institute, a leading nonpartisan think tank dedicated to countering economic inequality. The comprehensive report details the prevalence of wage theft and relevant federal, state, and local policies to combat it.

Wage theft occurs frequently in the United States; this includes instances of employers failing to pay employees back pay, underpaying tipped workers, and illegally deducting from wages. Concerned about this injustice, researchers from the Notre Dame Student Policy Network partnered with the Economic Policy Institute. Students spent a semester researching the issue and identifying prevention policies in each state. At the conclusion of their research, the students compiled their findings in a 30-page white paper and presented them to Economic Policy Institute researchers in Washington, D.C. SPN’s efforts informed further research and policy recommendations made in the think tank’s final report.

Juniors Annie Chen and Alex Young led a team of 7 Notre Dame students in this policy research. “Working with the Economic Policy Institute allowed me to advocate for solutions helping workers reclaim their rights. I am grateful for this opportunity to work with teams across the country determined to ensure workers receive fair compensation,” said Chen. Young added, “Economic Policy Institute’s work to uncover wage theft violations perfectly exemplifies Notre Dame’s call to be a ‘force for good’ in the world. Participating in this project allowed students to use research and policy skills to bring attention to a problem that affects the most vulnerable Americans.”

Senior policy analyst for the Economic Policy Institute Margaret Poydock commended the work of Notre Dame students in preparing the report, saying, “The Economic Policy Institute is appreciative of Student Policy Network’s leadership on the wage theft project. Their efforts were an integral part of the research conducted for the report and our team’s understanding of the state policy landscape. This report will guide future policy aimed at preventing the devastating effects of wage theft and improve outcomes for American workers nationwide.”

Sonia Zhang, a junior also serving as the Vice President of SPN, co-authored the Economic Policy Institute report during her time as an intern with the think tank. Student researchers on the project for the Student Policy Network included Tess Barrett, Billy Bonnist, Max Feist, Hannah Huston, Emi Kartsonas, Ashleigh Lobo, and Darren Tanubrata.

Between 2021 and 2023, more than $1.5 billion in stolen wages were recovered for employees in the United States through local, state, and federal policy efforts. The report by the Economic Policy Institute detailing findings on wage theft can be found at https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-theft-2021-23/#epi-toc-17.

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The University of Notre Dame Student Policy Network is the University’s premier public policy organization. The student-led club provides research and policy consulting for think tanks, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Student Policy Network offers projects on a wide variety of issues, including conservation, foreign affairs, housing law, and more. The club has over 120 undergraduate members. To learn more, visit our website at spnclub.nd.edu.

Originally published by Thomas Musgrave at spnclub.nd.edu on January 13, 2025.