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Four businesses hit for underpaying workers in Nassau

Luke Torrance

The Nassau County comptroller’s office released its annual living wage audit last week, finding that four companies underpaid their workers by almost $50,000 in 2017.

“This year, our team has worked closely with the re-energized Living Wage Advisory Board to take an aggressive approach to protecting worker’s rights through living wage audits and the allocation of useful resources,” Schnirman said in a statement.

According to a release of the findings, the comptroller’s office issued five living wage audits last year. The office found that four companies had been underpaying 15 employees by a total of $46,631. Twenty-three employees were not compensated for time off by three companies, the total of which came to $3,115.

Five companies were audited, although one of them — Dover Gourmet of Freeport — did not provide the necessary payroll and time and leave records, and as a result the auditors could not test them for compliance.

Able Health Care Services of Hempstead — which provides home medical care in the county — was found to have underpaid four employees by $31,604 and failed to pay eight employees $435 in compensated time off. Another home medical care provider, Allen Health Care Services, underpaid an employee by $74 and failed to pay $256 in compensated time off to eight employees.

Gibbons, Esposito and Boyce Engineers of Garden City underpaid eight workers by $14,661 and withheld $2,424 in compensated time off. The county had hired the firm to monitor the removal and disposal of debris following superstorm Sandy.

Another engineering firm, CH2M Hill, underpaid two workers by $292.

The penalty for noncompliance is $500 per employee each week that the employee is found to have been underpaid; that bumps up to $1,000 after 30 days and $2,000 after 60.

The living wage law applies to companies that have entered contracts or leases with the county after Jan. 1, 2007, that are service contracts worth $250,000 or more, financial assistance contracts worth more than $50,000 and where the employer has at least 10 employees, and leases of property owned or controlled by the county.

Certain contracts are not covered by the law (such as delivery services) nor are certain types of employees (such as employees under the age of 18 who are claimed as dependents).

Since becoming law in 2007, the audits have identified a total of $1,139,005 in underpaid wages affecting 1,443 employees.

On Aug. 1 each year, the living wage rate is re-evaluated. The living wage for the county was $16.07 per hour for employees without health benefits and $13.98 per hour for employees with health benefits in 2017. On Aug. 1 of this year, that was increased to $16.41 per hour for employees without health benefits and $14.27 per hour for employees with benefits.

When he announced that increase at a news conference last month, Schnirman also announced an English and Spanish tip line for employees to report vendors who are underpaying.

“Our team will continue to demand accountability from employers and work with the administration to enforce the Law on the books to protect worker’s rights,” Schnirman said. 

Reach reporter Luke Torrance by email at ltorrance@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516-307-1045, ext. 214, or follow him on Twitter @LukeATorrance

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