THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR RECOVERS $1.4 MILLION IN WAGES FOR MILLER ENVIRONMENTAL WORKERS

Contractor Agrees to Pay Required Prevailing Wage to Dozens of Employees  

 The New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL) today announced that it has reached a $1,450,096 agreement with Miller Environmental to settle a failure to pay prevailing wages. In January 2020, the company was contracted by PSEG LI to address oil spills and soil contamination, conduct clean-up, and perform other work supporting utility installation. NYSDOL’s Bureau of Public Work received a complaint that employees of the contractor were not receiving the lawfully required prevailing wage.

“In New York State, we believe workers deserve a fair wage for a fair day’s work,” said New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. “Protecting workers is a top priority to the New York State Department of Labor. We remain vigilant to ensure that employers are properly compensating employees for the work that they do. We will never stop protecting the paychecks of hard-working New Yorkers.”

Prevailing wage is the pay rate set by law for work on public work projects. Per New York State Labor Law, contractors and subcontractors must pay the prevailing rate of wage and supplements to all workers under a public work contract based on the locality where the work is performed. Third parties contracted on behalf and for the benefit of a public entity are also subject to the prevailing wage requirements of NYS Labor Law Article 8. NYSDOL notified PSEG in 2015 that because it operates Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure, its contracts--including those for reconstruction, maintenance, and repair of public works--are subject to those requirements.  

Investigators confirmed that Miller Environmental in fact failed to bid the contract at prevailing rates and that PSEG LI failed to inform Miller Environmental that this contract involved public work. After discussions between the bureau and Miller Environmental, the company agreed to pay 88 employees the full underpayment amount. Those payments were distributed in January and February of 2022.

NYSDOL continues to ensure businesses across New York State comply with prevailing wage requirements,  and the Department is in the process of hiring fifteen new public work wage investigators statewide to advance that mission.

To report prevailing work violations, email: labor.sm.pwask@labor.ny.gov.

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES “CARE” STRATEGY TO CREATE JOBS HUBS ACROSS NYC WITH CITY OFFICES, KICKS OFF FIRST PHASE IN EAST NEW YORK

 

Delivering on Promise From Mayor’s Economic Recovery Blueprint, New “City Agencies Revitalizing the Economy” Strategy Will Locate City Agency Offices in Key Neighborhoods to Help Create Local Jobs

 

As Part of First Phase, Mayor and Partners Break Ground on Largest Commercial Building in Broadway Junction Area of East New York

  New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced his new “CARE” strategy, “City Agencies Revitalizing the Economy,” to create jobs hubs across the city by strategically locating city agency offices in key neighborhoods. Mayor Adams kicked off the initiative’s first phase, breaking ground on what will be the largest-ever commercial building in the Broadway Junction area of East New York, Brooklyn, which the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) will occupy. The strategy delivers on a key commitment of Mayor Adams’ “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery,” released last month,

 

“When I outlined my economic recovery blueprint last month, I spoke about not going back to the way things were before the pandemic — and that is what this strategy and this groundbreaking are all about,” said Mayor Adams. “We are building a more inclusive economy that works for all New Yorkers, in every neighborhood and every borough, and city government is leading the way.”

 

The new strategy leverages long-term city commercial leases to brings jobs closer to communities and catalyze new commercial development outside of traditional central business districts. The first phase is the result of a collaborative multi-agency effort between DSS, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), and developer the Leser Group. It builds on work NYCEDC began in 2017 to encourage investment in commercial markets across the city.

 

The new building at 2440 Fulton Street, developed by the Leser Group and designed by Marvel Architects, will bring best-in-class commercial space that will host more than 1,100 employees from DSS’ Human Resources Administration (HRA), along with private-market tenants, in the heart of East New York. The new space will allow HRA to improve client experience with rapid electronic check-in systems, upgraded self-service technology, and expanded waiting areas. The new building will also offer about 80,000 square feet of private-market commercial space, including new retail space along Fulton Street, Herkimer Street, and Van Sinderen Avenue.

 

“With this project in East New York, we advance two critical goals — bringing city services closer to the people that we serve and catalyzing the creation of office space for local businesses,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “I’m thrilled to see this project come to life and look forward to working with my partners in government to expand the CARE strategy across the city.”

 

“The CARE strategy is an innovative solution to support new development in underserved areas across the city and is a key component of Mayor Adams’ blueprint for the city’s economic recovery,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball. “Today's groundbreaking is just the beginning of utilizing city offices to create new commercial centers —bringing quality jobs, services, and amenities to neighborhoods across the city.”

 

“This project exemplifies this administration’s commitment to ensuring an inclusive recovery from the pandemic by supporting and revitalizing under-served communities, while creating employment for thousands of New Yorkers,” said DSS Commissioner Gary P. Jenkins. “The Department of Social Services is proud to play a vital role in realizing the mayor’s vision for a fairer New York City, where every New Yorker has equal access to opportunity and we prioritize the growth and success of our long-overlooked communities. At this site, we look forward to working with our city partners to bring innovative development to East New York, while improving and strengthening the delivery of social services for New Yorkers in need in the community with care and compassion.”

 

“We are a five-borough city, with diverse neighborhoods within each borough,” said DCAS Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock. “For far too long, city offices have been heavily concentrated in too few places. Our government needs to be closer to the people and should be an engine for economic growth in commercial areas across the city.”

 

“This project defines public-private partnership,” said Fernando Fisbein, representative, Leser Group. “It represents a true collaboration between multiple public agencies and local businesses to achieve key community goals, including connecting critical city services to the communities that access them; anchoring a commercial hub for local businesses, nonprofits, and institutions; and creating new energy and opportunity for the Broadway Junction neighborhood. In achieving these goals, this building will produce over 200,000 square feet of brand-new, class A office space for HRA and create over 100,000 square feet of office and retail space for public, private, and nonprofit organizations. We thank Mayor Adams, NYCEDC, and the elected officials for their support of this project.

 

Creating local jobs and revitalizing East New York are critical priorities for Mayor Adams. The neighborhood offers:

• A transit hub at Broadway Junction, with access to six subway lines, various bus routes, and the Long Island Rail Road,
• Comparatively low property costs,
• Access to a strong local community that can serve as both a workforce and a customer base, and
• Proximity to one of the largest clusters of industrial businesses in New York City.

 

In addition to 2440 Fulton Street, NYCEDC is currently reviewing proposals for the next phases of the “CARE” strategy in Queens and the Bronx. More information is available here.

 

“After years of community engagement and planning, today marks a new beginning for Broadway Junction,” said Bill Wilkins, director of economic development and housing, Local Development Corporation of East New York. “We are starting to see the fruits of our advocacy and hard work to create new jobs and opportunity for East New York. This public-private partnership between the city and the Leser Group is a major step in the right direction, and we commend Mayor Adams for prioritizing progress for the Junction.”

BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR STABBING EX-GIRLFRIEND MULTIPLE TIMES IN FRONT OF HER CHILDREN

 

Defendant Pleaded Guilty to Attempted Murder 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to Attempted Murder in the second degree. The defendant broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and stabbed her repeatedly in front of two children before attempting to flee the country.

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant stabbed the victim multiple times, leaving her with life-altering injuries and the children traumatized. As these brave survivors still recover, there is some measure of justice for them that the defendant will be in prison for the next decade.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Wilson Rojas, 33, of 2505 Aqueduct Avenue was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Marsha Michael. The defendant pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in the second degree on March 3, 2022.

 According to the investigation, on August 27, 2018, the defendant went to the home of Florimel Lora Santos, his former girlfriend, on Allerton Avenue. The defendant broke the door open and stabbed the victim multiple times in her arms and chest with a kitchen knife in front of the victim’s two children, one of whom is the biological child of the defendant. Four NYPD Officers responded to the scene and applied a tourniquet before paramedics arrived. The multiple stabbings caused massive blood loss and the victim had to undergo multiple surgeries. She also sustained nerve damage on her left arm.

 The defendant fled the scene, purchased a plane ticket and called the victim’s friends and family members from JFK Airport telling them he killed Lora Santos. Police apprehended the defendant on the tarmac.

 District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Officers Steve Yankowski, Justin Sokol, Tanya Acevedo and Steven D’Alisera of the 49th Precinct. She also thanked NYPD Detectives William Cadena and Robinson Martinez.

Bronx Associate Principal Pleads Guilty To Child Enticement And Possession Of Child Pornography

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JONATHAN SKOLNICK pled guilty today to child enticement and possession of child pornography.  SKOLNICK pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon who will also sentence the defendant.  

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Jonathan Skolnick, a teacher and former middle school associate principal, admitted today to reprehensible crimes connected to his coercing of own students, minor children, to sending him nude photos of themselves. No parent should ever need to worry about the safety of their children from child predators when sending them off to school; I commend our law enforcement partners for their efforts in bringing Skolnick’s career as an educator to an end.”  

According to the Indictment, public court filings, and statements made in court: 

Between in or around August 2012 and in or around June 2018, SKOLNICK worked as a high school teacher at a school in Brooklyn, New York (“School-1”).  In or around July 2018, SKOLNICK became an associate principal at a middle school in the Bronx, New York (“School-2”), where he worked until in or around September 2019. 

Over the course of approximately seven years, SKOLNICK induced, enticed, and coerced minor children (the “Minor Victims”) to send him nude and sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves over the Internet.  SKOLNICK abused his position of trust as a teacher and mentor at School-1 and School-2 in order to access Minor Victims. 

Between in or around 2012 and in or around September 2019, the Minor Victims sent SKOLNICK nude and sexually explicit photographs and videos that he possessed.

SKOLNICK, 39, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty to: (1) one count of child enticement, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; and (2) one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge. Sentencing is scheduled for September 22, 2022.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department.   

DEC ISSUES GUIDANCE TO REDUCE CONFLICTS WITH BEARS

 

Public Encouraged to Remove Bird Feeders, Feed Pets Indoors

 The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today reminded New Yorkers to take down bird feeders and secure garbage to avoid potential conflicts with black bears.

Bears are emerging from their dens, and now is the time to take steps to reduce potential conflicts through the spring and summer. Bird feeders, unsecured garbage, and outdoor pet and livestock feed can attract bears and lead to potential conflicts for homeowners. Repeated access to bird feeders and garbage can make bears bolder, seeking additional sources of human-related foods inside vehicles or buildings, particularly when natural foods are scarce.

Feeding bears intentionally is illegal. Unintentional feeding through bird feeders and unsecured garbage also has consequences for communities and may ultimately be deadly for the bear if the bear becomes a greater threat to people and property after exposure to these sources of food. It is important to properly manage attractants to avoid human-bear conflicts.

DEC advises everyone residing in or visiting bear country (most of upstate New York) to remove any attractants. People should take down bird feeders and clean up any remaining bird seed now, begin storing garbage inside secure buildings until the morning of collection, and feed pets indoors. By taking these simple steps, New Yorkers can help ensure bears will find food naturally, which protects people, property, and bears.

For more information, please visit DEC's webpage on reducing human-bear conflicts.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson Visits the April Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance Meeting

 

The first Monday of the month is the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance meeting, and for April the guest was Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. BP Gibson is entering her fourth month, and mentioned many things that have already happened such as the deadly fire at Twin Parks which BP Gibson said killed seventeen people, leaving hundreds still put up in hotel rooms while new living quarters are being found for them. She spoke of a new city policy of agencies communicating with each other when one sees violations from another agency. Her office received over five-hundred new applications for community board seats other than the current board members who submitted reappointment applications. A commitment from Mayor Adams of one-hundred million dollars of the eight-hundred million dollars to refurbish the Hunts Point Market, and keep it in the Bronx. The citywide Saturday Night Lights in one-hundred schools with fifty more to come. 

BP Gibson mentioned that there were one-hundred and fifty thousand applications for the one-hundred thousand citywide DYCD summer youth jobs, and then mentioned the various task forces that her office was initiating or bringing back after they were discontinued that were mentioned in her last community meeting. She then took questions such as the need for a middle school in the Van Nest area. BP Gibson said that there has to be a need for the middle school, and a landlord willing to lease the space if there is no city owned land available. On the subject of Bail Reform, BP Gibson said that ninety percent of the people released without bail have not committed another crime, but it is the ten percent who are the problem that something must be done about. 

Other questions were about landlords policing themselves when it comes to violations such as no heat, which is turned on before the inspector arrives, The GED program now called HSE, the stoppage of the ERAP program due to the state running out of money, and waiting for more federal money to continue the program. Other questions were about voter apathy, the MTA, Scribe, and #62 which BP Gibson lamented on that has gone on for the past decade that the Bronx is first in everything bad, and last in everything good.  Then there was the question of the White Plains Homeless Shelter, and what is next for the building. BP Gibson said that the community needs to keep alert and talk to the owner to find something that the community needs to go there. She warned that another homeless shelter proposal could pop up elsewhere in the community board area in the future. BP Gibson then received a phone call and had to leave, to go to where a shooting had just happened in the Fordham section of the Bronx. 

VNNA Senior Advisor Bob Nolan introduced Borough President Vanessa Gibson.

BP Gibson spoke about what she has experienced so far, what she is doing, and what she wants to do as borough president.

BP Gibson finishes answering a question, as Bob Nolan calls on VNNA Vice-President Sharlene Jackson-Mendez for the next question.

(L - R) VNNA Treasurer John Messenger, Senior Advisor Bob Nolan, President Bernadette Ferrara, Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Secretary Marion Manfredi, Vice-President Sharlene Jackson-Mendez, and Sergeant at Arms John Fernandez.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - Why I support Medicare for All

 

When I waitressed, I had to pay hundreds of dollars per month for the privilege of paying thousands in deductibles each year for insurance that didn’t really cover prescriptions.

It was cheaper and the best option financially to just go uninsured and pray nothing happened.

I remember vividly one day, I decided to walk around and ask everyone I worked with – waiters, bussers, cooks – what insurance they had. Everyone had the same answer: none. It made more sense for us to save up the money we’d otherwise pay on premiums and spend it on actual medicine and care.

That’s one reason why I support Medicare for All.

To this day, I work so my campaign staff is better insured than I am. But as an employer, I hate that their healthcare is tied to employment. When people get debilitating diagnoses, why does our system force us to stress about care ending with employment rather than getting better?

If we had a universal system, the huge sums employers pay for insurance could go into employees’ pockets in other forms (like raises). The answer can’t continue to be subsidizing the Affordable Care Act more and more as premiums go up and up.

The answer is single payer healthcare: Medicare for All.

Having to choose between bankruptcy or your life is a choice that people shouldn't have to face. It's possible to treat everybody more affordably with higher-quality care than they ever could get under our current privatized for-profit system.

Thanks for reading and together let’s transform our healthcare system for working families.

Alexandria

NYC Comptroller Lander and Trustees Announce $7 Billion Milestone in Climate Solutions Investment

 

New York City Retirement Systems Investments Far Surpassed Goals Set in 2018 to Double Investment in Climate Solutions

 New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and trustees of the New York City Retirement Systems announced that investments in climate solutions have now reached more than $7 billion across all systems and asset classes as of the end of 2021, well exceeding the $4 billion goal set by three of the funds in 2018. These investments in companies that are helping to facilitate a just transition to a low carbon economy build on the $4 billion divestment by three of the five funds from companies that own fossil fuel reserves, which is expected to be completed later this year.

This milestone surpasses the goals set by the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), and Board of Education Retirement System (BERS), in 2018 to double their investments in climate solutions from $2 billion to $4 billion by 2022. In October 2021, the three Systems adopted a goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. As part of this commitment, the three Systems set a goal to reach a total of $37 billion in climate solutions investments by 2035, in line with a total of $50 billion across all five Systems by 2035.

The climate solutions in the New York City Retirement Systems’ portfolio includes investments in companies that derive a majority of their revenue from climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience activities, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, pollution prevention, and low-carbon buildings. Climate solutions investments in the Systems’ portfolios have grown consistently and greatly in the last several years, more than doubling in value since 2018.

“Bold climate action to meet the moment in 2022 requires both keeping fossil fuels in the ground and investing in the renewable energy and resiliency infrastructure we need for a just transition. The New York City Retirement Systems are leading the way on bold measures to safeguard the long-term future of their portfolios and our planet. I’m proud to continue and expand on the work started by the previous administration, alongside my fellow trustees, to reach our goals of investing $50 billion in the green economy of the future by 2035,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

“Our city’s pension investments should be aligned with our values,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “At a time when the warnings about climate change are growing increasingly dire, our city must take bold action to address the crisis, proactively invest in renewable energy, and divest from fossil fuels. I am proud to stand with Comptroller Lander and the trustees of the New York City Retirement Systems in touting this major milestone, and will continue working alongside them to secure a greener, more livable future for all New Yorkers.”

“Today’s announcement is a win for New York City pensioners as well as our planet,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “As we move towards a green economy, we must invest in companies committed to a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable and resilient energy sources. Green energy is the future both environmentally and also financially, and our city is dedicated to continuing divestment from companies with fossil fuel reserves as well as investing in companies pioneering climate solutions. As we celebrate this milestone, New York City is leading the way on how to responsibly and ethically invest public pension funds.”

The New York City Retirement Systems are composed of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System, Board of Education Retirement System, New York City Police Pension Fund, and New York City Fire Department Pension Fund.

Trustees of the New York City Retirement Systems are as follows:

New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Preston Niblack, Chair; New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Borough Presidents: Mark Levine (Manhattan), Donovan Richards (Queens), Antonio Reynoso (Brooklyn), Vito Fossella (Staten Island), and Vanessa L. Gibson (Bronx); Henry Garrido, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; Tony Utano, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; and Gregory Floyd, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Appointee Philip Dukes; Chancellor’s Representative, Lindsey Oates, New York City Department of Education; and Debra Penny (Chair), Thomas Brown and David Kazansky, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

New York City Police Pension Fund (PPF): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Philip Dukes; New York City Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack; New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell (Chair); Chris Monahan, Captains Endowment Association; Louis Turco, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; Vincent Vallelong, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Paul DiGiacomo, Detectives Endowment Association; and Patrick Lynch, John Puglissi, Joseph Alejandro, and Thomas Gilmore, all of the NYC Police Benevolent Association.

New York City Fire Pension Fund (Fire): New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Philip Dukes; Acting New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh (Chair); New York City Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack; Andrew Ansbro, President, Robert Eustace, Vice President, Edward Brown, Treasurer, and Eric Bischoff, Staten Island Representative and Chair, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; Liam Guilfoyle, Captains’ Rep.; Paul Mannix, Chiefs’ Rep., and Christopher Jensen, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and Peter Devita, Marine Engineers Association.

Board of Education Retirement System (BERS): Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, Represented by Lindsey Oates; Mayoral: Tom Allon, Vasthi Acosta, Gregory Faulkner, Dr. Angela Green, Anthony Lopez, Alan Ong, Gladys Ward, Karina Tavera; Thomas Sheppard (CEC); Geneal Chacon (Bronx), Tazin Azad (Brooklyn), Kaliris Salas-Ramirez (Manhattan), Jaclyn Tacoronte (Staten Island), and Deborah Dillingham (Queens); and employee members John Maderich of the IUOE Local 891 and Donald Nesbit of District Council 37, Local 372.