City council member Tim Burgess has formally proposed legislation that would help the city crack down on employers engaged in wage theft, the practice of hiring people and then paying them less than promised or not paying them at all, which we wrote about last week .

The proposal would clarify that stealing wages constitutes a theft of service; that an employer can steal wages even if he or she hires someone inside the city for work performed outside city limits; and would create a list of specific circumstances to help the city determine whether an employer is guilty of wage theft. The legislation would also empower the city to deny a business license to an employer who has been convicted of stealing wages.

As we reported last week, existing state law requires employees who accuse their employers of stealing wages to hire their own attorney, or file a claim with the state department of labor and industries that may or may not go anywhere and will almost certainly take several months or longer to reach a resolution. Once a worker decides on one avenue—take their chances with L&I, or hire an attorney to sue their employer—they can’t go back.

On his blog, Burgess calls existing legal protections for victimized workers (many of whom are immigrants and/or don't speak English) "weak," noting that "civil remedies can drag on for months [during which] employees are left to fend for themselves."

The council's public safety committee, which Burgess heads, will discuss the legislation this Thursday in council chambers at 10:30 am.