USA: Nearly USD 1.1 stolen wages recovered for migrants employed by maintenance co. CleanTech following rights abuse
“CleanTech Underpaid Immigrant Workers and Refused to Provide Paid Sick Leave at Height of Pandemic; Crew Chiefs Required Some Workers to Pay Illegal Kickbacks to Keep Their Jobs”
… New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that she has recovered nearly $1.13 million in stolen wages for workers at CleanTech, a professional maintenance company that provided cleaning services at facilities on Rikers Island during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation uncovered widespread labor violations including wage theft, failure to provide paid sick leave, illegal kickbacks, and retaliation against workers who complained. As a result of OAG’s investigation, CleanTech will pay $1,029,175 in restitution to approximately 250 impacted workers…
“The settlement reached by Attorney General James is a significant victory for the 250 workers whose wages were stolen and who faced retaliation for complaining about the violations,” said Deputy Director of Catholic Migration Services Alice Davis…
The OAG opened an investigation into CleanTech in 2022 after receiving a complaint from Catholic Migration Services regarding an illegal kickback policy…
In reality, the company paid workers below the required rates, failed to provide paid sick leave, and employed crew chiefs that coerced workers into paying kickbacks, or returning portions of their wages, just to keep their jobs…