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September 11, 2023 | Area Standards, Political Action

Hochul Signs Wage Theft Law for NY

Wage theft in New York state will be a form of larceny, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul having signed a bill which was a top legislative priority for union carpenters.

Unrepresented carpenters have increasingly been the victims of wage theft by unscrupulous employers, who also use the tactic to gain an illegitimate competitive bidding advantage over honest employers and union carpenters. The new law is expected to have a significant positive impact going forward.

“On behalf of union carpenters across New York State, we applaud Governor Hochul for signing legislation that will crack down on wage theft in the construction industry. All blue collar workers are impacted by wage theft, and all blue collar workers deserve to be paid the wages they have earned. When unscrupulous contractors cheat their workers, they also cheat on their taxes – and that impacts every honest taxpayer in the state. Stopping wage theft is good for the construction industry, it’s good for blue collar workers, and it’s good for New York’s economy. We are thankful to the Governor and the leaders in the legislature, including Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Latoya Joyner, for standing up for the hard working men and women of the building trades,” said Bill Banfield, Assistant to the Executive Secretary-Treasurer, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

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January 14, 2022

Construction industry propped up by public assistance

A report just released by the University of California Berkeley Labor Center reveals that 39 percent of construction worker families nationwide are forced to enroll in one or more safety net programs to make ends meet. That is higher than the 31 percent of all workers enrolled in such programs. The yearly cost to state and federal governments is a staggering $28 billion. Additionally, 31 percent of construction workers lack health insurance coverage, compared to 10 percent of all workers. Researchers attribute their findings to low pay, wage theft and illegal employment practices in the construction industry.

The $28 billion price tag stems from construction families’ reliance on a variety of safety net programs, including adult and children’s Medicaid, the earned income tax credit, temporary assistance for needy families and the supplemental nutrition assistance program.

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