Minneapolis - St. Paul Metro

The recent double felony conviction of Minnesota painting contractor Fred Newell should send a clear message: Wage theft is a crime, and when workers come together through a union, justice is not just possible, it’s within reach.

Newell, owner of Integrated Painting Solutions, was entrusted with public funds for a publicly funded project. Instead of paying his workers what they were rightfully owed, he kept money for himself. He filed false payroll reports. He misclassified employees to skirt labor laws. He lied and told workers that prevailing wage standards didn’t apply to them. When workers spoke up, he said he’d pay them back. He never did.

Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a misunderstanding, it was intentional theft — plain and simple. And it’s far from an isolated incident.

As we know, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. This conviction could be a sign that wage theft is happening in our cities, on our job sites, and on the very projects meant to benefit our communities more than we think.

As union members, we see wage theft for what it is: a systemic exploitation of working people, particularly those who are the most vulnerable — workers who can’t afford to lose a paycheck, workers who fear retaliation, and workers who are told to “take it or leave it.”

This is why unions like ours exist. We are the first line of defense. When a worker is being cheated, they can’t just call 911. But they can call a union, even if they’re not a member. And when they do, we don’t just listen — we take action.

Our union stood up for the workers who were denied fair pay. A felony conviction was secured — a rare and meaningful outcome in a system where wage theft is too often treated like a paperwork issue instead of the serious crime it is.

Newell will be sentenced on June 6 and could face up to a year in jail. He is also effectively barred from working on city of Minneapolis projects going forward. That matters. That’s accountability. And it wouldn’t have happened without union involvement.

For too long, wage theft cases were limited to slow-moving civil enforcement. That meant justice was delayed — and often denied. But now, thanks to partnerships between labor and forward-thinking prosecutors, these cases are being prioritized. Minnesota now has some of the toughest anti-wage theft laws in the country because our legislators understand that when wage theft is allowed to go unchecked, it sends the wrong message to bad actors: that cheating workers is just part of doing business.

It’s not. It’s a crime.

When unions are strong, wage theft doesn’t stand a chance. We don’t just protect our own members — we protect the standards for everyone. That’s why the work we do matters not just for unionized workers, but for non-union workers, too. When we raise the alarm, the whole industry hears it.

We’re proud of the bravery of the workers who spoke up and called us when they were being cheated. We’re also proud of the future partnerships we’ve built with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and the Labor Council Advisory Committee.

But we also know this is just one case.

Wage theft could be happening right now — today — on job sites across this state. It could be happening to workers without representation, without protections, and without a clear path to justice.

If you’re a worker experiencing wage theft, don’t wait. Don’t go it alone. Call a union. We are the first step, we are the frontline, and we are ready to fight for you.

Every worker deserves a paycheck they can count on and someone in their corner when that paycheck doesn’t come.