BUFFALO, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced Sept. 27 that Allied Waste Services of North America LLC (Allied), a company that provides commercial waste management services, will pay $69,000 after allegations of failing to pay the city’s living wage to employees.
“Our living wage laws ensure that employees working on taxpayer-funded public projects are paid a fair wage, Schneiderman said. “Allied attempted to illegally circumvent this rule, ultimately costing hardworking New Yorkers thousands of dollars in wages. Companies that attempt to cheat the system and shortchange employees show a complete lack of respect for workers, and we will continue to ensure that everyone in our state is paid the wage they deserve.”
According to allegations, Allied failed to pay 16 Buffalo recycling facility workers the living wage mandated by the Buffalo living wage ordinance. Under the ordinance, employers working on city of Buffalo projects must pay specific wages to specific groups of employees.
The living wage for the project Allied had contracted for was $11.63 an hour. The $69,000 settlement will go toward restitution for the workers.
“The WNYCOSH Worker Center is heartened by this settlement. It means the city of Buffalo living wage is working to ensure that workers, working for employers that benefit from city contracts are entitled to be paid a wage that allows them to support their families,” said Brian Brown-Cashdollar, WNYCOSH Worker Center program director.