CoFiA's wage-theft recovery effort is frequently about detective work. We want to have an assertive discussion with the deadbeat employer--but that can't happen unless we know who it is. Failing a successful collection effort, we solicit the help of the very supportive NJ Department of Labor--but they need not only a name, but an address. All of this is complicated by the fact that the workers are often very casual about critical pieces of workplace information. After all, if the employer provides a job, a tool or two, and some cash on payday, why would you need to know business names, the boss's surname, addresses, and phone numbers? The problem is compounded, of course, by the language barrier, and the fact that the employer prefers it that way. This is the story of Edwardo and Jose, (not their real names, of course), carpenters and ... Read more