Somerville to Probe Wage Theft at Public Hearing Tuesday

The Somerville Board of Aldermen is set to hold a public hearing Tuesday on wage theft.

The public hearing was scheduled after a number of activists, organized by Centro Presente, collected over 190 signatures calling for a public discussion about the matter.

Activists have said that immigrant workers are particularly vulnerable to wage theft, in which employers withhold pay from employees.

Centro Presente has helped workers file a lawsuit against One World Cuisine, which runs Diva Indian Bistro in Davis Square. The suit alleges the restaurant group did not pay workers over $183,000 in wages and has violated minimum wage and overtime laws. Activists say over $20,000 of those unpaid wages were for work conduced at Diva Indian Bistro.

In addition to Tuesday's public hearing, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone in April proposed an ordinance designed to discourage wage theft. The proposed ordinance would allow the city to revoke permits and licenses from businesses found to have violated wage laws.

Tuesday's public hearing takes place at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

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