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Among the businesses in New York, what's described as an invisible crime is about to be attacked by a new and longer arm of the law.

"Can you imagine getting up in the morning, going to work, if you get a tip, you get paid. If not, you work for free. We cannot and won't allow that," said Bruce Both, United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500.

On Monday, the department of labor launched a wage enforcement program called Wage Watch. It will use community groups and ordinary people to be on the lookout for employers who pay under minimum wage, don't give overtime pay, steal tips or those who simply don't pay at all.

"If you go to the neighborhood and you see workers working really long hours, seven days a week, you know there are problems there," said Patricia Smith, Labor Department Commissioner.

Last year, the labor department collected $25 million in unpaid wages for 17,000 workers throughout the state. SoHo retailer Yellow Rat Bastard agreed to pay almost $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit over unpaid employees.

Others found to be violating state wage laws included the Saigon Grill on the Upper West Side and the Rico Car Wash in the Bronx.

Fernando Hernandez, a construction worker, says he blew the whistle when his boss continued to string him along.

"They never paid us. We worked for weeks sometimes and we got paid for a couple of days, never got paid what we were owed," said Hernandez.

The labor department says industries that employ mainly immigrant workers are among the biggest violators. Many are encouraged more will be caught now that Wage Watch is putting more eyes and ears on the street.

"We're very excited about this initiative because it not only helps to enforce the law but helps to strengthen it in the future," said Jei Fong, Chinese Staff and Workers Association.

"Before we didn't have any support, now we do. We can come together to get our rights protected," said Hernandez.

On another front, a bill in the state legislature would raise the fine, currently up to $2,000, for employers who fire workers who report wage violations. It would also force those employers to give the workers their jobs back.