NEW YORK -- We need the SWEAT Bill now. That's the message workers delivered to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday.
The SWEAT bill would expand the existing mechanics' lien law that helps contractors secure payment from building owners to allow hourly workers to collect when employers refuse to pay. Sarah Ahn, an organizer with the Flushing Workers Center, noted New York's current labor laws are full of loopholes that let employers who cheat their workers evade responsibility.
"They transfer their assets, they close down and reopen their shops, they come to court and they say, 'Oh, we have no money,'" Ahn said. "Meanwhile, they're still often times operating business."
The bill passed both houses of the state Legislature last year before stalling in the governor's office until he vetoed it on January 1, citing due-process concerns.
But Ahn pointed out that legislators chose to expand mechanics' lien legislation as a basis for the SWEAT bill because it has been used successfully for years.
"In fact, Wisconsin did the exact same thing where they expanded the mechanics' lien to be accessible to all workers because they saw this precise problem that New York state has," she said.
With the governor's veto, the Legislature would have to pass the bill again and hope a new version will become law.
Ahn said the workers at rallies in New York City, Binghamton and Buffalo are urging legislators to include the SWEAT bill with this year's budget bills that must be passed by April 1.
"We want this bill as soon as possible," she said. "We fought for it for many, many years, and each year that we couldn't get it done, the problem of wage theft has been getting worse in the state."
The workers have vowed to stage rallies every month until the SWEAT bill becomes law.
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A new report finds Connecticut's state government can improve pay equity and representation.
The University of Connecticut School of Public Policy report examines demographic representation in proportion to statewide census data. Hispanic and Latino people have the lowest representation among new hires and long-term employees. White men and Black people are the majority of longer-term hires.
Mohamed Alkadry, professor and director of the school, said it is more than a human resources issue.
"There are also areas where the issues are stubborn like hiring female engineers is complicated by many things like the availability of female engineers in the workforce," Alkadry pointed out. "Engineering schools are still graduating not enough women by comparison to men."
Although female engineers are entering the field in record numbers, they are not remaining in the industry. Alkadry noted lawmakers can fund pathway programs for government employment, which can provide recent graduates with options to enter public service since it is harder to enter a field with little or no experience.
Despite this, Alkadry finds representation in government among all groups has improved in recent years.
While representation is fairly well-rounded, pay equity in Connecticut's government is not. The report showed pay for people of color, Hispanics and Latinos is lower than those of white workers. Alkadry emphasized pay equity plays a big role in representation, especially for minority workers.
"If half of the workforce is that, but then the pay equity data shows that these folks are only making 60% of what white men and white women are making in that same workforce, this means that the Hispanic and Black men and women are ending up in lower-echelon positions," Alkadry outlined.
One report recommendation called for the Department of Administrative Services to conduct an analysis on the diversity of statewide candidate pools. The data can uncover whether diverse candidates are entering the application process or if other barriers slow their progress.
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More than a year after City of Richmond workers filed to vote on a union contract, they are celebrating its implementation.
The contract provides workers with an established grievance process, updated health and safety guidelines, and labor management committees to help improve different departments. Workers described the moment as everything they have waited for.
Felicia Boney, management analyst associate in the Department of Social Services for the City of Richmond, said it sends a message to other cities about the efficacy of treating workers fairly.
"The economy has changed," Boney pointed out. "People are looking for better employment, better benefits. It will improve retention of the employees and if employers are treating their employees like they should, it would benefit them."
Cities like Alexandria, Portsmouth, and Newport News are all in different stages of the unionization process. A 2021 poll showed 68% of Virginians favored letting public employees unionize.
Boney noted there was plenty of give and take from the city and workers, making it quite a process to reach this point but with things in place, she emphasized the city is eager to start working with the Joint Labor Management Committee.
Another reason for the contract's implementation is making the city more competitive in hiring. The hope is to attract people to jobs in understaffed departments. She stressed workers are eager to see what lies ahead in a new chapter of Richmond's history.
"We love our jobs, we really do," Boney added. "We just want to be able to be better at doing what we're doing, and I think this gives us an opportunity to do just that. We want to make Richmond great again and I think this is one of the tracks we can take to do that."
Before the contract and unionization, one in 12 of the city's full-time employees could not support themselves on their salary. The city also saw high turnover rates across agencies. In all, it cost the city more than $6.5 million per year.
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Supporters of a new state-sponsored retirement savings program in Maine are celebrating a significant milestone.
More than six months after the launch of the Maine Retirement Investment Trust, or MERIT, enrolled employees have saved more than $1 million.
Alf Anderson, associate director for advocacy and outreach at AARP Maine, said the program was created to help the roughly 200,000 private sector workers without access to a retirement plan at their job.
"You know, one of the most important things for people as they plan for retirement," said Anderson, "is having that financial security to be able to do the things they want to do when they do get to that point in their lives. And so, that milestone was really exciting for us to see."
Anderson said businesses with at least five employees can register with MERIT to help set up savings for workers, who would otherwise seek out an independent financial planner.
More than 1,500 employers have already signed on.
Surveys show more than half of Americans are concerned they won't be able to achieve financial security in retirement.
At least 25 states introduced legislation last year to establish new, state-backed retirement plans.
Anderson said the successful rollout in Maine reveals the urgency people feel about planning for the future due to the high costs of food and housing.
"Do I cut back on my medications?" said Anderson. "Do I not eat a certain number of meals today? Like, it's really frightening to see some of the decisions people have to make."
Anderson said the pandemic didn't help - with even more Mainers facing depleted savings accounts and having only Social Security to fall back on when they reach retirement age.
State officials say MERIT could help Mainers for generations to come, and help reduce reliance on public assistance programs.
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