Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
Nelson King, Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2021
By Joseph A. Geiger
Wage theft has victimized
the working class for far too
long. For decades, crooked
contractors have flown under
the radar in broad daylight
and built their million-dollar
bank accounts by stealing
the wages of workers who
don’t know their rights or
are too afraid to report the
crime.
The fear of being fired or
blackballed for speaking up
by powerful contractors has
scared many of these workers
silent. We must put the
lives and dignity of our fellow
New Yorkers ahead of contractor
greed and end wage
theft once and for all.
The construction industry
creates thousands of jobs
and builds critical infrastructure
that is vital to New
York’s recovery. Developers
eager to squeeze every
last cent of profit from their
workers have unleashed an
exploitation epidemic, paying
their workers a quarter
(if they’re lucky) of what they
would make under a prevailing
wage, if they’re getting
paid at all.
When a worker is cheated
out of their wages, we
all suffer: the worker and
their family have to choose
between paying rent or buying
food, wages across the
industry are depressed, and
New York City loses critical
tax revenue. The fact is that
wage theft is a direct threat
to the stability of New York
City’s economic well-being
and our recovery from the
pandemic.
The ripple effects of wage
theft are felt not just in New
York, but throughout the
economy. Across the nation,
workers and their families
lose $8 billion a year to
wage theft, and construction
workers alone are robbed of
$946 million annually.
A study conducted by the
United Brotherhood of Carpenters
also found that corrupt
contractors withheld at
least $811.1 million a year in
overtime pay. These staggering
numbers bring to light
not one or two bad apples,
but of a system that exploits
the working class without
fear of consequences.
They say that “one bad
apple can spoil the bunch.”
That is true with another
money-making scheme used
by some thieving contractors.
Wage theft goes hand-inhand
with tax fraud, which
is reported on roughly 20.5%
of construction sites per
month. Every year, unscrupulous
employers offload
$3.5 billion of businesses’
employment taxes onto
workers, leading to a total
of $8.4 billion in state and
federal tax losses.
That’s billions of dollars
that should be funding local
schools, infrastructure, and
health care. When there are
billion-dollar tax gaps like
the ones left by wage theft
and tax fraud, it’s the everyday
taxpayer that picks up
the bill. These crimes aren’t
only hurting the construction
industry, they are crippling
entire communities.
It’s time these bad actors
stop cheating the system,
stealing wages out of working
people’s pockets, and corrupting
our entire economy.
Allies for the working
class like Senator Jessica
Ramos and Assembly
Member LaToya Joyner have
stepped up in the New York
State Legislature by introducing
S.2766/A.3350 to
combat this incessant violation
of workers’ rights. Their
bill aims to end wage theft
at the top, where the liability
resides. It will ensure
all workers have protection
when their employer tries to
steal their paycheck.
Under S.2766/A.3350,
wage-stealing practices will
be met with legal repercussions.
Construction bosses
will not be able to turn a
blind eye to these illegal
practices and will finally be
held accountable for what
happens on their job sites.
That accountability will lead
to more extensive vetting of
contractors and sub-contractors,
safer worksites and
workers bringing home the
full wages they deserve.
Meanwhile, contractors
who have done the right
thing will see no change
beyond finally having a shot
to compete on a level playing
field.
The District Council
believes in the ideal that a
hard day’s work gets a fair
day’s pay, no questions asked.
It is committed to advocating
for all workers in the
construction industry, both
union and non-union, to
ensure jobs, fair wages, and
safe job sites.
Now, it’s time for the politicians
in Albany to do the
right thing for their constituents
and pass the wage
theft legislation championed
by Senator Ramos and
Assembly Member Joyner
that protects the livelihoods
of hard-working New Yorkers.
Now more than ever as we
hope to rebuild back better,
we must change the culture
of greed and hold the bad
accountable. We must pass
S.2766/A.3350 and end wage
theft now.
Joseph A. Geiger is the
executive secretary-treasurer
of the New York City and
Vicinity District Council of
Carpenters.
By David Malpass
The COVID-19 pandemic has
hit the poorest and most vulnerable
people in developing countries
the hardest, worsening inequality
and exacerbating existing
challenges — insufficient health
care systems, education deficits,
stagnant incomes, rising conflict
and violence, poorly-selected
debt contracts, and climate
change. Unfortunately, the delays
in beginning the vaccination
process in developing countries
are deepening global inequality
and leaving hundreds of millions
of elderly and vulnerable at risk.
Beyond the pandemic’s immediate
harm, COVID-19 is leaving
lasting scars: children missed
vital schooling and related childhood
nutrition and vaccination
programs; businesses collapsed
with job skills lost; savings and
assets have been depleted; and debt
overhangs are depressing investment
and preventing urgent social
spending.
The World Bank has moved
quickly to help countries respond
in three steps – 1) emergency
health programs in more than
100 countries early in the crisis, 2)
vaccination readiness assessments
completed in over 140 countries by
the end of 2020, and 3) COVID-19
vaccination financing and delivery
operations that will reach at least
$4 billion of commitments in 50
countries by mid-year. The International
Finance Corporation, our
private sector development arm, is
helping to increase the supply of
vaccines and critical health equipment.
Widely available vaccination is
the best investment to strengthen
the recovery, and I’ve repeatedly
urged countries with sufficient
vaccine supplies to release them
as soon as possible to developing
countries with delivery programs
in place.
In addition to vaccination programs,
we’re working to focus
our financing and expertise on
impactful programs that will save
lives and livelihoods, while supporting
green, resilient, and inclusive
development. The developing
world needs sustainable growth
that is broad-based and strong
enough to lift hundreds of millions
of families out of poverty, while
integrating both development and
climate.
To help countries address
climate-related goals, the World
Bank Group will commit at least
35% of our financing over the next
five years — totaling $100 billion
— to support developing country
climate investments. More important
than the amount spent is the
results. To address current needs,
part of our climate financing will
be used for high impact “mitigation”
efforts to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions (GHG), particularly
by large emitters. Looking
toward the future, at least half
of our total climate finance will
be for high impact “adaptation”
efforts, to help countries prepare
for harmful climate effects. Our
focus on adaptation recognizes
the reality that climate change
hits the poorest countries hardest,
even though their contribution to
GHG emissions is minimal. One
of our immediate actions is helping
countries with their nationally
determined contributions (NDCs)
and long-term low carbon development
plans. Countries have widely
varying approaches to Paris alignment,
and it is important that
their climate efforts maximize
impact on both GHG emissions
and successful adaptation.
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We must stop wage theft that
threatens New York’s working class
Poverty, inequality, and climate:
Defining choices of our age
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