Handout "I have sick days, but the company doesn't want to release them to me," said Carlos Vega (r.) a cabin cleaner who works for Ultimate Aircraft, pictured with Farouk Salim.
New York City outlets of some of the largest American companies were fined for refusing to give their employees mandated paid sick leave, the Daily News has learned.
Billion dollar businesses like CVS, Toys"R"Us, and Lowe's, as well as scores of mom-and-pop businesses were tagged as violators of the city's Earned Sick Leave Act, according to data obtained via a Freedom of Information request.
All told, the de Blasio administration has hit 236 businesses with $917,523 in fines since the law was enacted in April 2014. And the city's Department of Consumer Affairs has recovered $1.5 million in restitution for 12,173 employees, records show.
PRESIDENT OBAMA TO PUSH FOR PAID SICK TIME FOR WORKERS, WILL ASK CONGRESS FOR $2B TOWARD LEAVE PROGRAMS[1]
Mayor de Blasio made vastly expanding the law a top priority, despite opposition from business groups that argued it would unfairly burden small store owners. The law requires businesses with five or more employees to offer at least five paid sick days a year.
Richard Harbus/for New York Daily News Shoppers wait on line to pay at Toys "R" US in Times Square.
Predictions of dire consequences for merchants have been largely dashed, city officials say.
"Despite the fears of many at the beginning, the city's Paid Sick Leave law has not had a negative impact on the city's small businesses — in fact we've seen job growth," said consumer affairs First Deputy Commissioner Alba Pico.
The department "has received complaints against and entered into settlement agreements with a cross section of employers, large and small, local and national," he said.
City enforcement has been ramped up over the past year, records show, with total restitution climbing from $837,163 in 2015 to $718,888 in just the first four months of this year.
That's because the city has slowly moved from educating employers about their obligations under the new law to "stronger enforcement," Pico said.
Business groups said that most New York companies are following the rules.
Kathy Wylde, president and CEO of Partnership for New York City, said that just a "small" number of thousands of businesses in New York have been hit with fines.
"I'd say this is pretty consistent with what we thought," she said.
Still, advocates for workers advocates are urging the city to beef up enforcement. The city employs a team of 14 investigators and lawyers who have help from other agency staffers to clear cases. Complaints are frequently filed through the city's 311 phone number or online.
"For every worker who has filed a complaint, we have 10 more who have the same issues," Amity Paye, a spokeswoman for 32BJ, which represents airport workers in the region. "The complaints are representative of the larger issue rather than just one-offs."
Airport workers complain they have been unfairly refused paid sick days they are entitled to under the law, and Consumer Affairs investigators are looking into complaints of widespread sick leave abuse in the industry, officials said.
"I have sick days, but the company doesn't want to release them to me," said Carlos Vega, 27, a cabin cleaner who works for Ultimate Aircraft.
He was forced to take a day off in January when he became ill with the flu.
SICK LEAVE LEGISLATION LEADS TO $1.7M IN FINES OVER 2 YEARS[2]
"It was a struggle just to be paid for that day," Vega said. "They didn't want to give me the eight hours of sick time that I had."
Ultimate Aircraft did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
Meanwhile, airport workers, including many who earn minimum wage, pray they don't fall ill.
That includes Farouk Salim, 59, who works ferrying around passengers in wheelchairs.
"When we call out for work they give us a paper stating that we have to pay extra [for healthcare]," he said. "The job that I'm doing, if we don't get a tip there's no way to survive."
The worst offenders in 2015 were two home health care companies, American Business Institute, which was fined $96,075, and X-Treme Care, fined $44,750.
FedEx-the third worst offender was hit with a $33,600 fine, the data reveals.
None of these companies immediately responded to requests for comment.
References
- ^ PRESIDENT OBAMA TO PUSH FOR PAID SICK TIME FOR WORKERS, WILL ASK CONGRESS FOR $2B TOWARD LEAVE PROGRAMS (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ SICK LEAVE LEGISLATION LEADS TO $1.7M IN FINES OVER 2 YEARS (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ rblau@nydailynews.com (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ bill de blasio (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ minimum wage (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ daily news exclusives (www.nydailynews.com)
