Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
George Alleyne, Nelson King,
Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, Sept. 6, 2019 BQ
Dear New Yorker:
As many of you may
know, my office enforces
state and local prevailing
wage laws. That means that
if you have done construction
work on a New York
City public work project or
have been employed in a
building service job through
a city contract or in a building
with an affordable housing
property tax exemption,
then you may be entitled
to prevailing wages and
benefits, regardless of your
immigration status.
Often, workers are unaware
that our office has
collected money on their
behalf. Other times, the
workers are afraid to come
forward because of fear of
retaliation by their employer
or because of their immigration
status. If you believe
you were underpaid on a
City-funded job – no matter
who you are, or where
you’re from – let us know.
We work to recoup unpaid
wages with interest, and we
collect money for workers
regardless of their immigration
status or whether they
still live in New York City or
have moved to another state
or country.
Because informed workers
are their own best advocates,
my office has started
a new initiative to fine
contractors that fail to provide
written notice to their
employees of their right to
receive prevailing wages and
benefits. Workers that know
their rights are less likely to
be exploited by unscrupulous
employers.
Since taking office in
2014, we have assessed more
than $28 million against
City contractors in unpaid
prevailing wages with interest
and penalties, returned
more than $13.5 million to
workers, and barred over
50 contractors who took
advantage of workers from
State and City public work
contracts.
And we’ve done it
because people came forward.
No New Yorker should
be exploited, and no New
Yorker should be illegally
underpaid, regardless of
their immigration status.
Together, we can make an
honest day’s pay for an honest
day’s work a reality on
City-funded jobs.
Workers who believe they
may have been underpaid
on City-funded jobs can call
the Comptroller’s Labor
Law hotline at (212) 669-
4443, send in inquiries via
email to laborlaw@comptroller.
nyc.gov or check the
Comptroller’s website at by
clicking here.
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Scott M. Stringer
New York City Comptroller
The Editor,
The Caribbean Festival of
Arts (CARIFESTA) in Trinidad
and Tobago has come and
US$6. million have gone
A post mortem has to be
done.
With respect to Indo-Caribbean
culture in CARIFESTA, it
was marginalised in the Trinidad,
Guyana and Suriname
presentations. A content analysis
by percentages will prove
this claim.
Indians constitute the
majority ethnic group in these
countries as well as the majority
ethnic group in the Englishspeaking
Caribbean
Never mind the windowdressing
of the little Ramleela
here and the little Sangeeta
there in CARIFESTA
This tokenism was clearly
illustrated in the opening ceremony
at Queen’s Park Savannah,
Port-of-Spain, on the Friday
night when David Rudder
sang “Trini to the bone.” Indosinger
Neval Chatelal and some
Indian dancers trailed at the
tail-end (not saying like a dog
eh) of Rudder’s delivery.
Chatelal’s voice was muted to
give aurality and prominence to
Rudder. Chatelal touched Rudder,
seeking recognition and
acceptance, but Rudder did not
even watch him.
At the CARIFESTA symposia
at the University of the West
Indies (UWI), all the feature
speakers not only marginalised
Indians and Indian culture,
they also ignored them
completely.
At the panel discussion on
reparations for slavery, for
example, indentueship was not
even referenced. There were
no Indians or survivors of the
genocide of Amerindians represented
on the panel.
The high point of discrimination
was exhibited on Monday,
Aug. 19 at UWI when Professor
Kei Miller spoke on the
topic “Re-Imagining Caribbean
Futures.”
Miller, and all the speakers
who came to the lectern before
him that evening - Professor
Brian Copeland, Minister Nyan
Gadsby-Dolly and Dr Paula
Morgan, Dr. Suzanne Burke
and MC Dr Efebo Wilkinson
- defined culture in the Caribbean
as Carnival in all its
manifestations.
They spoke only of pan,
moko jumbies, J’ouvert, blue
devils, Dame Lorraine, Sailor
Mas, etc. as well as dancehall,
reggae, and soca. Not a word
from any of them about Divali,
Hosay, Ramleela, kassida,
Pichakaree, Rath Yatra, chutney,
churail, saaphin, tassa,
etc.
Sincerely,
Ms. Sherry Hosein Singh
Cedar Hill Road,
Claxton Bay
Trinidad W. I.
OP-EDS
The high point of
discrimination was
exhibited on Monday,
Aug. 19 at UWI
when Professor Kei
Miller spoke on the
topic “Re-Imagining
Caribbean Futures.”
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You have labor
rights regardless of
immigration status
CARIFESTA and Indo-
Caribbean culture
New York Comptroller, Scott Stringer.
Associated Press / Frank Franklin II
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