View Spring 2007 Prevailing Wage Newsletter

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today issued the Spring 2007 edition of his Prevailing Wage Newsletter, identifying more than $5 million that was collected in 2006 in back wages for workers who were underpaid by New York City contractors.

“Prevailing and living wage laws are about supporting hard-working people and creating a better New York for all of us,” Thompson said. “I am proud of our efforts in enforcing these laws and the progress we have made helping working New Yorkers get the wages and benefits they deserve.”

The newsletter – which you can access at www.comptroller.nyc.gov - highlights the work of the Comptroller’s Office and reports on other issues concerning prevailing and living wage laws in New York City. Among the achievements that are detailed:

The Comptroller’s Office assessed $414,950 in penalties against contractors who violated labor laws, the steepest amount in the last five years.

In one case, the Comptroller secured the largest settlement ever in the history of the Comptroller’s Office in terms of the number of workers – 720 – to be paid back wages because of prevailing wage violations.

Additionally, over the last five years, the Comptroller’s Office resolved 744 prevailing and living wage cases, assessed more than $11.3 million in underpayments for workers and assessed more than $1.1 million in fines against contractors. The Comptroller’s Office also has debarred 20 contractors from doing business with the City as a result of labor law violations.
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