Bava Metzia 111: Is Withholding Wages the Same as Stealing?

Our daf teaches a number of halachot regarding paying worker's their wages.  

• If an employer has said that a person will be paid, that person must be paid as understood
• It is forbidden to withhold wages, regardless of the case
• When a person works during the day, s/he is paid that day
• When a person works at night, s/he is paid that night
• When a person works for an hour, s/he is paid at the end of that hour

The rabbis wonder how withholding wages is different from theft.

• Different expressions might suggest whether or not the owner is withholding wages, perhaps for a short time, or whether the owner is stealing from his worker
• The rabbis rule that withholding wages is the same as theft
• They call the two different names because one is punished differently than the other

The rabbis discuss who is excluded from the prohibition around withholding wages.

• Do these laws apply to converts and others who are not within the community?
• If so, which prohibitions apply?  

Our daf ends with a detailed debate regarding the sources behind all that was discussed today.  Which words in the Mishna imply which halachot?  The rabbis conclude (for now) that employers must be stringent.  The Torah prohibits both withholding wages and stealing.