New York on the hunt for employers who steal workers’ wages

Foto:
Don Pollard / NY Governor Office

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The state of New York announced on Tuesday the recovery of almost 3 million dollars in unpaid wages as part of the work carried out by a special team dedicated to protecting labor rights.

As reported by Governor Kathy Hochul, as a result of the joint initiative between the Department of Labor, the Attorney General’s Office and the district attorney’s offices, penalties for serious crimes and agreements were established with more than a dozen companies and 265 people to restore wages owed to countless New Yorkers since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition, Hochul also announced new efforts to duplicate the Task Force’s success, launching a new hotline (833-910-4378) and developing a state-of-the-art online system for reporting wage theft to create more opportunities for workers to have the tools they need close at hand and protected by confidentiality.

“As we fight to help New Yorkers recover from the economic hardships of the pandemic, we must ensure that we protect workers and ensure they are paid for the work they do,” the official said in a statement.

In the joint press release, Attorney General Letitia James mentioned that every day, hard-working New Yorkers move the state forward, “they are the ones who make us great.”

He added that for too long and too often, greedy employers take advantage of workers, swindling them out of wages they have legitimately earned. “Over the past two years, my office has returned more than $15 million to more than 15,000 wage theft victims across the state, and we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that the bad guys who steal from New Yorkers are take responsibility for their actions.”

In the same sense, the commissioner of the Department of Labor, Roberta Reardon, pronounced: “We will not tolerate mistreatment of workers. If someone violates our labor laws, we will find them and hold them accountable,” she said.

Other county prosecutors as well as state elected officials also reiterated their commitment to combat wage theft and urged workers not to remain silent. “Day worked, day paid”, is what the law says.

For more help:

New Yorkers who need assistance or want to file a complaint can email [email protected] or call: 1-888-4-NYSDOL (1-888-469-7365).

If you need to know details about salaries, see://dol.ny.gov/public-work-and-prevailing-wage

You can also file complaints about labor violations by writing to [email protected].

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