Responsible Businesses

Our campaign acknowledges the importance of responsible businesses in our communities and firmly supports those that work to make Houston a better place to work and live. We know that as a business owner, you work hard to provide quality products and services to your customers; and as a Houston employer, you play a vital role in providing employment and supporting  a thriving community.

Although there exist many responsible business owners, there are also those who put greed over the needs of their communities. Across various industries, wage theft has become a growing problem affecting Houstonians. When workers are not paid, it creates a burden on their families and communities. It also puts ethical employers at a disadvantage and can destroy community businesses as working families cannot spend wages they haven’t received.

As a responsible business and community leader, we invite you join the many other Houston businesses, organizations, and individuals who are taking a stand against wage theft in our city. You can start by signing our letter to the Mayor and City Council urging them to adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards wage theft, and speaking out against these injustices in your business & community.

Today’s consumers are increasingly motivated to support sustainable business practices, including those that provide just and healthy work environments. The Coalition believes in an ethical, pragmatic, and profitable approach to doing business that benefits employers, employees, consumers, and the community.

Business Impact:

  • Wage theft creates an unfair advantage; businesses who pay fair wages cannot compete against employers who cut costs by stealing their workers’ pay.
  • When workers are underpaid or not paid at all, productivity decreases and results in lower quality products and services
  • Businesses that engage in wage theft often have other labor violations, including health & safety, discrimination, or abuse.
  • Wage theft not only steals from the worker, but ultimately from the local economy. This can destroy community businesses, as working families cannot spend wages they haven’t received.

For more information about signing on to the letter or becoming part of the Down with Wage Theft Coalition, please contact Jose Eduardo Sanchez at 713-862-8222 or jose@hiwj.org. You can also sign on online here.