September 10, 2015
By Neal Tepel, LaborPress Editorial
New York, NY – Since 2011, AG Schneiderman Investigations into cheating employers have generated over $21 Million In restitution and damages for more than 17,000 workers. The New York State Attorney General has taken a lead in efforts to raise the minimum wage, improve regulation of payroll cards, and end the widespread use of on-call scheduling by retailers. Schneiderman’s crack-down on wage theft across a diverse set of industries has been extremely successful in New York State.
“As Attorney General, it is my privilege to stand with hard-working New Yorkers all over the state in their fight for dignity, respect and fairness in the workplace,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “This Labor Day, I am proud to say that our office is fighting on the front lines of almost every major labor battle impacting New York workers. I look forward to many more tough fights—and victories—in the months and years ahead.”
The Attorney General has an impressive track record in protecting the rights of New Yorkers. His office has been instrumental in stopping wage theft in many industries including fast food, construction, building services, home-care, and airport services.
His labor bureau has successfully prosecuted many bad guys. Certainly noteworthy is the Bureau's successful track record of prosecutions for employers that have not paid prevailing wage or violated child labor laws.
Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, UFCW, said, “Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has done incredible work to improve the lives of the working men and women in New York. His commitment to helping workers receive money they were owed from rampant wage theft in the car wash industry has improved the lives of many families. He has also played a crucial role in eliminating on-call scheduling – a practice many employers use that puts retail workers lives on hold. We look forward to continuing our partnership with him as the fight for advancing the rights of working people continues.”
Attorney General Schneiderman’s labor cases have benefited workers across the state. The fast food industry in particular has been the subject of wide-ranging investigations by the AG with settlements and judgments setting a precedent for other states and municipalities across the country.
"Whether it's going after employers like Papa John's for wage theft, advocating for a wage board or taking major corporations to task over unscrupulous lending practices Attorney General Schneiderman can be counted on as a champion for working families. In a time when working families are under attack, it's a relief to have NYS's top cop fighting to protect working people," said John Durso, President, Long Island Federation of Labor.
