NEW YORK, NY December 13, 2006 —About two dozen immigrant advocates and attorneys are calling on the Department of Labor to crack down on employers that cheat workers out of their wages. The New York Immigration Coalition issued a report that says across the state, wage and hour violations are becoming standard practice.

REPORTER: Chung-Wha Hong, the coalition director, says workers are often afraid to complain and their losses are big.

HONG: It's like robbing a bank. Some of the back wages go up to amounts that are staggering. Seventy thousand dollars. Eighty thousand dollars. A lifetime of exploitation.

REPORTER: The report calls on more pro-active investigations of industries where a pattern of violations has been documented, namely food service, construction and home health care.

A Department of Labor spokesperson disputes the report’s findings, saying the department conducts surprise workplace inspections and holds seminars to educate employers about wage and hour laws.