Senator Jessica Ramos Issues Statement On Passage of SWEAT Bill

“As we envision a post-pandemic economic recovery, we must think of the workers who are currently risking their health in order to go to work despite not being paid all the wages they are owed. Today, we got one step closer to fully removing the hurdles that tens of thousands of workers — many of whom are immigrants, people of color, women and low-wage workers who are already vulnerable and underpaid  — face in their attempts to collect their unpaid wages. Although wage theft is already illegal in New York, this bill would make it feasible for employees to hold employers accountable by placing a lien on the employer’s assets until those wages are paid. I thank my colleague Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal for her tenacious work on passing the SWEAT bill in the Assembly over the past years and the hundreds of advocacy groups in the SWEAT Coalition who have relentlessly rallied for fair labor practices for all New Yorkers. Now is our chance to push for this bill to get passed again in both houses and obtain justice for workers across all industries."