TABLE 2—
Work Hours, Wages, and Wage Theft by Type and Occupational Group, Chinatown Restaurant Workers: San Francisco, CA, 2008
| Variable | All Restaurant Workers (n = 399) | Men (n = 124) | Women (n = 275) | Cooks (n = 72) | Kitchen Workers and Dishwashers (n = 120) | Waiters, Dim Sum Sellers, and Bus Persons (n = 167) | Cashiers (n = 29) | Other (n = 11) |
| Work hours | ||||||||
| Work h/d | 7 | 8.5 | 6.3 | 8.6 | 8 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 6.4 |
| Work d/wk | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Work h/wk | 38.2 | 48.3 | 33.6 | 49.7 | 45.1 | 30.3 | 27.8 | 34.2 |
| Extra (overtime) h/wk | 5.2 | 6.3 | 4.3 | 5 | 7.6 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 1.3 |
| Wages, $ | ||||||||
| Self-reported hourly wage | 8.17 | 8.22 | 8.14 | 8.68 | 7.11 | 8.67 | 8.37 | 8.23 |
| Estimated average yearly income from restaurant job (based on weekly work h and assuming 50 work wk/y) | 14 709 | 19 269 | 12 638 | 21 175 | 14 687 | 12 550 | 11 092 | 14 740 |
| Household size | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.2 |
| Poverty, % | ||||||||
| Relative poverty based on US private industry 60% of median hourly wagesa | 91.2 | 83.9 | 94.6 | 80.6 | 96.7 | 90.4 | 100.0 | 90.9 |
| Absolute poverty based on personal income below HHS $21 200 level for 4-person householdb | 75.3 | 52.5 | 85.6 | 45.7 | 75.0 | 84.2 | 96.6 | 80.0 |
| Absolute poverty based on family income below respective HHS household levelsb | 23.7 | 18.3 | 26.2 | 16.7 | 23.3 | 26.0 | 33.3 | 18.2 |
| No paid vacation or holidays,c % | 80.7 | 75.2 | 83.2 | 70.8 | 84.9 | 80.4 | 93.1 | 72.7 |
| Wage theft by type | ||||||||
| No minimum wage, % | 49.6 | 54.0 | 47.6 | 43.1 | 70.0 | 40.7 | 34.5 | 45.5 |
| Estimated average wage loss/y because of minimum wage law violations (assuming 50 work wk/y), $ | 3442 | 3947 | 3214 | 3052 | 6187 | 1961 | 1939 | 2367 |
| No 30 min uninterrupted lunch break, % | 44.7 | 40.0 | 47.8 | 51.4 | 39.7 | 65.5 | 57.1 | 54.6 |
| Estimated wage loss per year because of lunch break violations (average of all workers including those receiving lunch breaks or working < 5 h/d), $ | 109 | 87 | 119 | 109 | 72 | 134 | 119 | 101 |
| Working extra hours (overtime), % | 39.6 | 42.4 | 38.4 | 45.1 | 39.7 | 40.5 | 25.9 | 25.0 |
| No overtime pay, % | 64.8 | 70.7 | 61.6 | 72.3 | 73.6 | 57.3 | 52.6 | 50.0 |
| Estimated wage loss/y because of overtime pay violations—per worker reporting extra hours, $ | 763 | 779 | 754 | 797 | 673 | 811 | 855 | 924 |
| Estimated wage loss/y due to overtime pay violations (average of all workers including those with no overtime), $ | 565 | 609 | 540 | 657 | 534 | 553 | 534 | 555 |
| No paid sick leave, % | 41.5 | 33.3 | 45.2 | 26.8 | 41.9 | 44.1 | 46.4 | 36.4 |
| Estimated wage loss/y because of sick leave violations (average of all workers including those receiving sick leave), $ | 64 | 63 | 65 | 48 | 70 | 63 | 73 | 110 |
| Boss withheld, delayed, or owed wages ever, % | 24.4 | 36.1 | 19.1 | 34.3 | 26.3 | 19.0 | 21.4 | 27.3 |
| Boss withheld initial paycheck(s) | 12.8 | 17.6 | 10.6 | 15.1 | 13.4 | 10.2 | 13.8 | 25.0 |
| Boss delayed wages ever | 16.7 | 24.8 | 13.0 | 25.0 | 19.0 | 13.2 | 10.3 | 8.3 |
| Boss owed wages ever | 8.4 | 9.8 | 7.8 | 8.3 | 11.2 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 0.0 |
| Boss keeps all or some tips | 33.6 | 30.2 | 35.1 | 24.7 | 28.5 | 41.7 | 34.5 | 25.0 |
Note. HHS = US Department of Health and Human Services. The sample size was n = 405.
a
In 2008, the median hourly wage in US private industry was $16.81 (Bureau of Labor Statistics40). The relative poverty line at 60% median wage in private US industry in 2008 therefore lies at $10.09 hourly wages.
b
2008 HHS poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.41
c
Not required by law.