'Wall of Shame' spotlights worst labor rights offenders

Amazon, Panda Express, Chipotle, Uber and Lyft are among businesses with the worst record of labor law violations in the city, according to an “Employer Wall of Shame” unveiled Labor Day by City Comptroller Brad Lander’s office.

The dashboard, which includes data from 2020 through 2023, tracks private-sector businesses that have been investigated by city, state or federal government officials for wage theft, pay issues, health and safety matters and other labor laws.

“When companies steal their workers wages, commit unfair labor practices, or put workers’ lives at risk, the public should be able to clearly see it,” Lander said in a statement. “By launching this dashboard, my office is making it possible to identify bad actors across multiple violations of workplace laws. This tool can serve as a resource for workers, customers, neighbors, and other businesses as they are looking to work with employers who respect workers’ rights.”

The Wall of Shame, which notes the employers who have committed significant infractions, aims to improve the businesses’ compliance with labor laws by publicizing their violations. 

Among the more egregious violators of labor laws in the city was Chipotle Mexican Grill, which in 2023 had seven unfair labor practices violations, the most of any employer, primarily for retaliating against employees who were trying to unionize.

Chipotle also violated wage theft laws — the company was the second-worst offender in the city, according to state Department of Labor data obtained by the comptroller’s office — which resulted in the company owing over $350,000 to more than 9,000 workers. In 2022, the company reached a settlement with the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection agreeing to pay $20 million to 13,000 current and former workers for violating the city’s Fair Workweek law.

Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, which has been working to organize Chipotle workers, filed the ULPs against the burrito chain.

“The valuable information included on the dashboard will expose those businesses that violate labor laws and compromise workers’ rights related to wages, workplace safety and the right to unionize,” said Manny Pastreich, the union’s president.

Among the largest wage theft offenders were home health agencies American Business Institute, Smile Care and FADMO Home Health Care Services Agency, according to the dashboard. ABI violated minimum wage laws and owed more than $14.3 million to 175 workers, while FADMO owed $1.45 million to 22 workers for failing to pay minimum wages.

Luxury retailer Gucci reached one of the largest settlements with the New York City Commission on Human Rights recorded last year, when the company agreed to pay $330,000 after a sales associate experienced physical and verbal harassment on the job and no action was taken after the employee reported the issue.

Ride-share companies Uber and Lyft were party to the two largest wage and hour settlements involving the state Attorney General’s Office, with Uber paying $290 million and Lyft $38 million to 100,000 current and former drivers after the AG’s determined that the ride-hailing platforms fleeced the drivers out of income.

Construction company Timeless Roofing Inc. and building services company Planned Companies were among the other employers included in the Wall of Shame for violating labor laws and OSHA rules.

“This data will be instrumental in union organizing drives, procurement of public goods, and potential impact litigation. It will also be useful to everyday New Yorkers who can now look up companies that they are interested in working with to see if that employer is fair to their employees before accepting a job offer,” said Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union.

clewis@thechiefleader.com

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