Feds target Flatbush Gardens

From WPIX:

Deplorable working conditions in Flatbush Gardens are now being targeted by the federal government.

The massive Foster Ave. housing complex is made up of 59 buildings and is home to 10,000 residents. After years of complaints from workers, the U.S Labor Department has finally stepped in, and Tuesday the agency issued 20 violations and 51,000 dollars worth of fines to the building management, Renaissance Equity Holdings.

"We complained and said that we need protection," said one maintenance worker.

The deplorable conditions reportedly include several 'serious violations', which, according to the Department of Labor, occur when there is substantial probability of death or serious physical injury that could result from the hazardous conditions.

Pio Pio owner slapped with Dept of Labor lawsuit

From Crain's:

A Peruvian restaurant chain, Pio Pio, is being sued by nine former workers for alleged labor law violations—less than two years after it paid out $287,713 to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor, in which it was charged with failure to pay minimum wage, overtime and abide by record keeping laws.

There are eight Pio Pio restaurants in Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx and the latest lawsuit claims that six of the eateries ran afoul of a number of labor laws, including not paying workers their full tip earnings, paying non-tipped workers from a tip pool and docking workers' pay when mistakes occur such as breakage of plates and glasses. The complaint also alleges minimum wage and overtime violations.

NYC's unemployment higher than country, state

From NYS Dept of Labor:

New York City (five boroughs): Since December 2008, the number of nonfarm jobs has decreased by 75,000, or 2.0 percent, and the number of private sector jobs has decreased by 67,500, or 2.1 percent. The area's unemployment rate was 10.4 percent in December 2009, compared with 9.9 in November and 7.2 in December 2008.