New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a suit at the State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Thursday against Michael Mahoney, 42, for withholding wages from workers and discriminating against minority workers.
The suit files complaint that Michael Mahoney and the six concrete and carpentry companies he controls discriminated against minority workers and owed $4 million in overtime and wages.
In a statement on the Attorney General website, Cuomo said the following:
“New York is supported by the hundreds of thousands of construction workers who labor tirelessly to build and maintain this City.
“To deny workers the wages guaranteed by this State, or to discriminate against them based on race and ethnicity is a gross violation of the law and a disgraceful abuse of power.
“Today’s lawsuit is a message to all businesses in New York -you play by the rules or you face the legal consequences
In the same release from the AG’s office, the following findings from their investigation were disclosed:
“The Attorney General’s investigation found that non-minority employees were paid an average hourly rate of approximately $25.00; African-American employees were paid an average hourly rate of approximately $18.00; Brazilian employees were paid an average hourly rate of approximately $15.00; and Latino employees were also paid an average hourly rate of approximately $15.00 for the same work.
“The companies allegedly hired non-minority employees into higher-paying positions without regard to individual qualifications, or paid non-minority employees higher wages for the same type of work.”
Mahoney’s lawyer, George L. Santangelo, refused to comment on the case, telling The New York Times Thursday: “I haven’t seen the papers yet.”
Comments