Trader K’s Clothing Store in Ithaca Found to Violate NYS Wage Law

(Ithaca) A New York State Department of Labor (DOL) investigation of employee complaints of wage underpayment between 2011 and 2013 at Trader K’s in Ithaca has concluded that the business is guilty.

Trader K’s failed to pay overtime properly to nine employees and was assessed over $7,500 in damages and underpayments to the employees. The failure to pay overtime affected both store clerks and managers at the store. While managers are typically exempted from overtime payments, if they do not earn over $455/week or if they have been, in effect, misclassified (their job duties do not meet certain DOL-mandated tests for being a manager) then overtime pay is required.

The DOL complaint was filed in 2013 by the Tompkins County Workers’ Center (TCWC) after an employee contacted TCWC’s Workers’ Rights Hotline. “Wage theft is rampant in NY State and around the country,” said Pete Meyers, TCWC Coordinator. “Here in Tompkins County, we/TCWC have filed complaints and won back wages for hundreds of workers over the years [winning judgments of over $1.3 million in successful ‘wage theft’ claims]. We encourage workers to contact us whenever they have questions or feel their employer is cheating them out of their wages.”

The TCWC Workers’ Rights Hotline can be reached at 607-269-0409 or TCWRH@tcworkerscenter.org or via Facebook.