[Excerpt] In 2010, the National Employment Law Project found that nearly $1 billion was stolen from low-wage workers every year in New York City alone.1 Despite the strongest laws on the books, all evidence indicates that rampant wage theft continues in our state. Wage theft harms taxpayers across the state: employers who fail to pay minimum wage or overtime are also notorious for failing to pay taxes, workers’ compensation insurance, or unemployment insurance." Law-abiding employers cannot compete when the competitor down the street is undercutting them by stealing workers’ wages. When we fail to make wage and hour protections REAL by enforcing the laws on the books, we are SUBSIDIZING bottom-feeder employers. Responsible employers deserve a fair playing field.