New York State Acting Labor Commissioner Mario J. Musolino announced today that 30 workers at Durham Bus in Syracuse have received $15,850 in restitution and damages as a result of an investigation by the New York State Department of Labor.  The violations were brought to the attention of the Labor Department’s Labor Standards Division by representatives from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 200.

“The Labor Department’s Labor Standards Division continues to yield impressive results for those who have been wronged in wage theft cases,” said Acting Commissioner Musolino.  “This case is particularly important because it shows the kind of results that are achieved when worker advocates and the Department come together to protect workers.”

SEIU Local 200 officials notified State Labor Department investigators of possible violations at the Durham Bus location in Syracuse.  Department of Labor investigators audited the location and discovered numerous instances of worker underpayment and violations of the Wage Theft Prevention Act.  The business was judged to owe $12,680.70 in wages and was assessed an additional $3,170 in liquidated damages.

"We tried for three years to collect money on behalf of these workers after this employer failed to remedy the pay issues raised. Today several low wage workers will finally be paid the wages they so rightly earned thanks to our friends at the Department of Labor,” said SEIU Local 200 Representative Bob Loftus.

The New York State Department of Labor’s Division of Labor Standards, which investigates wage theft, is processing cases faster than ever before, meaning more workers receive money owed to them faster.

More than 85 percent of all investigations are now completed within six months.  In 2014, $30.2 million was disbursed to nearly 27,000 workers – more than any previous year and a 35 percent increase in recovered funds over 2013.

Anyone with questions about minimum wage or other labor standards issues, or who would like to file a complaint, should call 888-4-NYSDOL (469-7365).