Construction workers share record-breaking $2.35 million settlement

New York City Comptroller John Liu announced yesterday a record settlement of $2.35 million on behalf of 24 construction workers who were cheated out of wages and benefits for work at city sites. An investigation into Paramount Rental Equities revealed that the vendor withheld payments for overtime, night
shift differentials and weekend pay for 24 workers. The comptroller’s office negotiated a settlement with
Paramount in which Paramount paid $2.35 million in restitution to
the workers and $117,674 to the city’s general fund as a civil penalty.
In addition, the company was put on notice that any future violations
would result in Paramount being barred from bidding on city projects. “This goes to show that vendors who have the privilege of working on city contracts and do not honor their requirements will be held accountable,” Liu said. “We will not tolerate contractors who seek to avoid the responsibility of paying their employees what they are rightfully owed.” TRD