4 The QUEE NS Courier • august 27, 2015 f or breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Queens workers owed $800K in unclaimed back wages: comptroller BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected]/@A_GiudiceReport With Labor Rights Week quickly approaching, City Comptroller Scott Stringer scored a victory for city workers when he found $3.7 million as part of unclaimed prevailing wage settlements with several companies that worked on city-funded projects. Stringer is now seeking the public’s help in identifying the over 1,000 workers from across the city to whom these funds are owed. Throughout Queens, 200 individuals are owed nearly $800,000, according to Stringer’s findings. In Corona, 20 people are owed a total of $117,470.53; Elmhurst has 18 individuals who are owed $74,934.79; and in Maspeth, Ridgewood and Jackson Heights, 14 people from each neighborhood are owed a total of $151,811.21. “My office has recovered millions of dollars through our enforcement of the prevailing wage, but now we need your help to connect these workers with the money they are owed,” Stringer said. “Thousands of hard-working individuals, many of whom are immigrants, have been cheated out of their rightfully earned wages, but they may not know these funds exist. Help us get the word out about unclaimed wages — recovering thousands of dollars may only be a phone call or email away.” Stringer’s office is trying to identify those who are owed wages through social media, media partnerships and distribution of informational flyers in several languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian and Creole in neighborhoods throughout the city. City Comptroller Scott Stringer is looking for over 1,000 workers who are owed $3.7 million. “We’re ramping up our efforts to identify these hard-working men and women who are owed the money they earned,” the comptroller said. “In the coming weeks, we’ll be on the streets, on social media and on the airwaves with a single message: if you’ve been cheated out of your wages, the comptroller’s office has your back. Tell your friends and family: call our hotline or visit our website to see if you are eligible to receive your lost wages.” The prevailing wage laws require employers to pay Photo via Scott Stringer’s Facebook page workers the wage and benefit rate set annually by the comptroller when those employees work on city public works projects, such as renovating public schools or building service contracts, which includes security guard and custodial work, with city agencies. Workers who believe they may be entitled to unclaimed wages can call the comptroller’s hotline at 212-669-4443, send in inquiries via email to [email protected] or check the comptroller’s unclaimed wages website. Fresh Meadows residents allege increase in stray cats BY ALINA SURIEL [email protected] @alinangelica Things aren’t so purr-fect for one Fresh Meadows community. Fresh Meadows residents are alarmed by what they say is an increasing number of stray cats overrunning residential streets and nearby Cunningham Park. Many of the cats belong to a feral colony located off a walking path in Cunningham Park near the corner of 199th Street and 73rd Avenue. The spot — set up by an unknown caretaker who has been spotted by nearby residents — has enough food and shelter to support a large group of animals. At least 12 bowls of dry cat food were left open and 10 discarded Christmas trees were serving as permanent shelter for the felines on a recent evening. There were also several kennels left open and lined with natural fibers for warmth. Four cats could be seen in the colony during a 30-minute time frame. Melissa McFadden, a Fresh Meadows homeowner who lives a block away from the park, said that she has seen an uptick of strays in the surrounding neighborhood as a result of the thriving colony. “They are always wandering back and forth from the woods across the street into our yards,” McFadden said, adding that the feral felines exhibited aggressive behavior when approached by her small dog. Feral cat colonies can be legally maintained by a certified caretaker if registered with the Feral Cat Initiative of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. In order to become a certified caretaker, New Yorkers must attend a hands-on workshop on how to safely trap, neuter and return the animals into the wild. According to Katy Hansen of Animal Care Centers of New York City, there is a managed feral cat colony in Cunningham Park, although she could not definitively say if the registered colony was the same one observed by The Courier. Hansen did state that part of the agency’s ongoing problem is dealing with abandoned felines in city parks, which find their way to open containers of food. “Unfortunately, domesticated cats are not used to having to find food on their own and thus may migrate to neighborhoods where outdoor food is readily available,” Hansen said. Residents in the immediate vicinity of the park help to support the stray cat population by feeding them from open bowls of food left in their driveways as well. Some have as many as four or five bowls of cat food on their property, along with multiple kennels left open for the strays. Alan Stratman, a resident less than four blocks away from the park, personally knew of some neighbors actively feeding the cats. He believes the stray cat population is growing because of the abundance of food, and said that it is not uncommon to see kittens roam the area as the animals breed. “It’s out of control. It’s totally out of control,” Stratman said. “I understand people feeding the cats and they’re trying to be good, but it’s not helping.” Sally Giles, a Fresh Meadows resident who feeds the cats from bowls on her property, said that she does it because she feels bad for animals that have no home. Unlike some of her neighbors, she was supportive of the existence of a large colony for them in the woods. “I don’t understand why they’re against it. It’s not hurting them,” Giles said. “It’s one of God’s creatures. It’s helping animals that need help.” The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals could not be immediately reached for comment. THE COURIER/Photos by Alina Suriel Two of the cats spotted in a feral cat colony in Cunningham Park.
QC08272015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above