$7.5M In Stolen Wages Returned To NYC Workers

NEW YORK CITY — New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer announced Monday that his office has returned nearly $7.5 million in stolen wages back to more than 400 workers since March 2020.

The Comptroller’s Bureau of Labor Law enforces prevailing wage and benefit rates for construction and building service workers employed by contractors on city public work projects, according to a news release from the Comptroller’s office.

“During the economic hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever that workers get the wages they are rightfully owed,” Stringer said in a statement.

In April, the comptroller’s office launched a phone banking campaign to track down money that contractors owed to the construction workers. According to Comptroller Stringer, his office has assessed more than $35 million in prevailing wage violations and paid over $22 million to employees who were cheated out of their wages since 2014. It has also debarred over 60 contractors who took advantage of workers – setting an office record.

“An honest day’s work deserves an honest day’s pay,” said Kyle Bragg, president of the Service Employees International Union, or 32BJ SEIU. “That’s why this work by Comptroller Stringer and his Bureau of Labor Law is so important. Contractors who cheat works and cut corners can never be tolerated, and especially not during a global pandemic. These returned wages will help send a powerful message to all that in New York City, we honor workers’ rights.”

The announcement was made on the first day of Labor Rights Week, which runs from Aug. 30 to Sep. 5. Stringer, who said in the statement that “every week should be Labor Rights Week,” is launching a series of “Know Your Rights” virtual events and workshops in partnership with other labor rights groups, community organizations, and the Consulate of Mexico. More information on the “Know Your Rights” can be found here.

Laborers have had a tough year in New York. New York City counted 488,000 fewer jobs in June 2021 than in Feb. 2020, according to a report from the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs. Unemployment rates are highest among Black and Latino workers, at 12 and 12.4 percent, respectively.