(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that in the two years since she announced a major crackdown on wage theft, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has investigated and recovered more than $63 million in stolen wages for nearly 65,000 Workers across New York State.

As part of the announcement, the Governor also celebrated the investigation and recovery of over $1 million in unpaid wages for more than 20,000 Chipotle Restaurant Workers across 207 locations statewide.  Individual recoveries for Workers ranged from $10 to more than $3,600, highlighting the State’s unwavering commitment to ensuring fair compensation and combating wage theft.

“In the two years since I pledged to crack down on wage theft, we’ve put millions of dollars in wages back in the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “Wage theft is stealing - plain and simple. It not only cheats workers out of a day’s pay - it violates our laws and my Administration is committed to ensuring that Workers receive every cent that they’re owed.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said: “Ensuring Workers are paid every cent they are owed is a fundamental right and we are dedicated to holding employers accountable.  This significant recovery for Chipotle Workers demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting Workers' Rights and fostering fair workplaces across New York State.  At the same time, we are committed to working with businesses to help them achieve compliance with Labor Standards.  I am grateful for Governor Hochul’s support, which enables us to continue these efforts to safeguard the rights of New York's Workers.”

The significant $1 million wage recovery from Chipotle stems from a thorough investigation by the NYSDOL’s Division of Labor Standards.

After a tip from the Workers’ Compensation Board, NYSDOL investigated and found wage issues related to the correct minimum wage rate for Fast Food Workers, which is higher than the regular minimum wage.

Investigators also found wage issues for spread-of-hours pay, which requires employers to pay additional time to Workers whose shifts span more than 10 hours in any one day.

After these discoveries, the NYSDOL asked Chipotle to review their pay records from December 2018 to September 2022.

During this review, the NYSDOL received an additional complaint alleging Chipotle had stopped paying certain required wages.

Chipotle attributed this to a system error and conducted another records review spanning August 2021 to July 2023.

This review revealed more pay issues.

As a result, the combined investigations led to significant money due.

Chipotle directly paid all active employees and provided the funds to NYSDOL to pay former employees the money owed.

New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said: "Every worker deserves to be paid what they have rightfully earned and cracking down on those stealing wages sends a strong message that wage theft will not be tolerated in New York State.  I applaud the dedicated Union Staff at the Department of Labor for all their hard work and commend Governor Hochul for her unwavering commitment to protecting working New Yorkers and their families.”

New York State Building Trades President Gary LaBarbera said: “Far too often, unscrupulous and greedy private employers look to take advantage of their Workers by withholding wages, overtime and benefits, but it has become clear that through the mobilization of its wage theft crackdown, the State has stepped up to protect Hourly Workers from further exploitation.  Honest work should result in honest pay and accountability for these unlawful practices is imperative.  We applaud Governor Hochul for these successful efforts and her continued commitment to being an advocate for hard-working New Yorkers and their families and look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Executive Chamber and the Department of Labor to ensure all workers, including our Trades Men and Trades Women, are being compensated properly statewide.”

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Two Years After Major Wage Theft Crackdown, Governor Hochul Celebrates More Than $63 Million Recovered for Nearly 65,000 Workers Across New York State | Governor Kathy Hochul (ny.gov)