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Manhattan DA Unveils New Unit to Combat Wage Theft, Protect NYC Workers

According to the district attorney's office, citing Cornell University's Worker Institute, wage theft in New York accounts for almost $1 billion in lost wages annually

What to Know

• The Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced the creation of a unit aimed at investigating and prosecuting wage theft, worker exploitation and other forms of worker harassment across New York City.

• The unit aims to pursue criminal charges against individuals and entities that put workers' safety at risk and/or steal their wages.

• According to the district attorney's office, currently individuals and entities that steal wages from workers generally face scheme to defraud charges, a misdemeanor under state law. A recently introduced bill, looks to address this concern and make it a felony.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced the creation of a unit aimed at investigating and prosecuting wage theft, worker exploitation and other forms of worker harassment across New York City.

The aptly named "Workers Protection Unit" aims to pursue criminal charges against individuals and entities that put workers' safety at risk and/or steal their wages.

"At the Manhattan D.A.’s office, we’re holding accountable companies and executives that exploit their workers, whether by jeopardizing their safety or stealing their wages,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “The creation of the Office’s first-ever Worker Protection Unit is our latest move to stand up for hard-working New Yorkers. Again and again, we see companies taking advantage of our most vulnerable populations, including low-income and undocumented New Yorkers, and abusing power imbalances to line their pockets."

According to the district attorney's office, citing Cornell University's Worker Institute, wage theft in New York amounts to about $1 billion in lost wages annually -- affecting tens of thousands of workers. Now, a new fund has $100,000 available to get these workers some of their money back since, currently, even if they bring a case to court and win, they still do not get paid.

"We are committed not only to prosecuting but recouping the lost wages," Bragg said.

The newly revealed unit is an evolution of the Construction Fraud Task Force, which will now form part of the Worker Protection Unit.