NEW YORK - Now that New York has approved a hike in the minimum wage, labor advocates want to be sure workers can collect what they're owed.

Wage theft - the failure to pay workers what they earn - is still a common problem. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched a major campaign to prosecute employers who don't pay, but Sarah Ahn, an organizer with the Flushing Workers Center, said winning a judgment isn't always enough.

"The employers have become very good at transferring their assets, closing down their shops, opening up under a new name, using these tactics to never pay these judgments," she said.

A bill called the Secure Wages Earned Against Theft (SWEAT) Act, now in the state Legislature, would give workers new ways to force employers guilty of wage theft to pay up.

A study done last year found that judgments against employers totaling more that $125 million have not been paid. According to Ahn, passing the SWEAT Act would help.

"What our bill is primarily seeking to do," she said, "is give workers more tools that will allow them to use different legal mechanisms to hold the assets of an employer."

The bill would allow workers to file personal liens against business owners, and the state to place liens on property and on the shareholders of limited liability companies to recover back wages.

While the newly passed increase in the state minimum wage is being hailed as a victory for workers, Ahn said there still is more work to do.

"Even with these increases, it's not a reality for many workers," she said, "so I think it's time that the state and our legislators really take action to make these laws enforceable."

She said the bill may come up for a vote soon in the state Assembly and is picking up a growing number of sponsors in the Senate.

The text of the bill is online at nysenate.gov.


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The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank has put a spotlight on the safety and stability of the U.S. financial system. Now, some experts are pointing to a greater role for community banks.

Nuray Ozbay, investment officer for Self Help Federal Credit Union in California, said Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions, known as CDFIs and MDIs, are comparatively well-capitalized, and with high levels of liquidity.

"Community banks, CDFIs and MDIs are usually financially conservative," Ozbay explained. "They put their members first, and they are usually risk-averse. So, they are safe places to invest."

Silicon Valley Bank focused heavily on startups while Signature Bank had a lot of money tied up in cryptocurrency. Ozbay noted local banks are much less likely to rely on such higher-risk investments.

Brady Quirk-Garvan, co-owner and financial adviser for Natural Investments, which helps people invest their money according to their values, said smaller credit unions are more accountable to their members, because the members are also the banks' main investors.

"They're more likely to take profits from the year and invest it in member services," Quirk-Garvan pointed out. "Whether that's hiring more tellers, or whether it's investing by making loans in a local community bakery, they're making a different set of decisions when it comes to their values."

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the FDIC, keeps the banking system stable by insuring all deposits up to $250,000, no matter the size of your bank.

Mexican fast-food chain Chipotle will pay workers at its former location in Augusta, Maine as part of a settlement over labor law violations. The National Labor Relations Board found the chain of restaurants broke laws by closing the location in July just weeks after employees became the first Chipotle workers in the country to file for union recognition. The company also blacklisted union organizers from being hired at other Chipotle locations.

Brandi McNease, Chipotle United organizer, said the company got the message.

"The union busting will not be tolerated and there's no way around it," she said.

Chipotle will pay a total of $240,000 to employees who were on the payroll when it closed the store, and offer "preferential rehiring" to all Augusta employees at its other Maine locations for up to one year.

The Augusta workers formed their union to bargain for safer working conditions, better staffing and a voice in any negotiations regarding workplace policies, they said. Now stores throughout the Northeast will post notices stating that Chipotle broke the law, and that employees have the right to unionize without consequences.
It is "a win for food service workers everywhere," McNease said.

"We fought for this specifically because the movement isn't over and every employee in those stores should know that they have rights and that the Labor Board is on our side," she added.

Chipotle was not forced to reopen the Augusta location, so workers say the payouts will help those who have yet to secure employment elsewhere, as well as inspire other Chipotle workers to stand up for respectful working conditions.


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More than one in three Ohioans are relying on credit cards for spending needs, and nearly a quarter say they've increased their credit-card use in response to cost-of-living increases, according to a new report.

Michael Welker, editor of Upgraded Points, a website tracking credit-card reward and travel programs, explained when the pandemic began, people spent less and got a financial boost from stimulus checks, leading to lower credit-card balances overall. Now, persistent high inflation is causing many to use credit to cover basic household expenses.

Welker said it poses a risk as interest rates rise.

"As you carry over balances month to month, and interest starts to accrue, potentially it's going to be even harder to pay down your debt," Welker advised. "That's going to be even more pressure, in terms of covering your household expenses."

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed new regulations which would, among other changes, cap late fees for credit-card payments at 25% of the minimum payment amount. The agency is taking public comments about its proposal until April 3.

According to the report, nationwide more than 95% of people with annual incomes below $75,000 said they are feeling stressed about inflation. Welker recommended using credit cards only when needed to meet basic expenses, and shifting habits instead to reduce dining out, entertainment and other leisure spending.

"Be more mindful of your spending," Welker suggested. "Figure out where you might be able to cut or trim back, find less expensive alternatives."

He added consumers may soon feel relief as the federal government works to combat inflation, but only those who rein in their credit-card use.

"The Fed is still raising interest rates trying to tame inflation," Welker pointed out. "Potentially, at some point later in the year, we finally start to see that come down to a more manageable level."

In another survey, by Clever Real Estate, 40% of Americans believe high prices are the "new normal," and 62% say they expect everyday prices will be even higher this year.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.