NEW YORK — Usually employers determine an employee’s hourly wage. Or wages are negotiated between employers and employees or employers and unions. But in the case of Related Cos. workers’ wages, the Mayor of New York City and Related recently negotiated an agreement on their wages. Related’s workers are now guaranteed what the Mayor calls “fair wages.”
Related is constructing the Hudson Yards project, an affordable housing mixed-use neighborhood development, in Manhattan. Currently, this agreement covers nearly 1,650 employees. But the agreement will also cover employees of other companies associated with Related that move into business locations at Hudson Yards in the future. For instance, companies in the restaurant and fitness industries, with financial ties with Related, which will lease space at the Hudson Yards development, will have to pay their employees at least the same amount as Related pays its employees under this agreement.
Prior to the agreement, the project and its construction were exempt from the city’s living wage requirements. This exemption allowed Related to pay its employees in construction, maintenance, and security personnel positions for Hudson Yards project the current New York minimum wage. Under the new agreement a fair, living wage means $10.30 an hour, if an employee receives benefits, or $11.90 an hour, if the employee does not. This is appreciably higher than state or federal minimum wage.
Federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, while New York’s minimum wage increased to $8 at the beginning of 2014. When state and federal minimum wages are different, the higher wage is used. New York also has additional wage levels for certain professions. For instance, employees in the “building service industry,” like janitors and maintenance workers, are covered by a separate order with minimum wage limits ranging from $4.75 to $9.95 an hour depending on the number of hours worked and the type of work completed. Related’s agreement sets wages for all of its employees above both the state and federal minimum wage levels, as well as the state order for building service industry workers.
Cities, states, and the federal government may all have different minimum wage and overtime laws. Knowing which laws apply to you and what rights they provide can be complicated. If you work in maintenance or security and believe your employer has denied you overtime, contact our experienced team of overtime pay lawyers today at (855) 754-2795 to discuss your situation and learn your rights. Or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page and our skilled legal team will evaluate your case. If we accept your case, we will represent you under our No Fee Promise. This means there are no legal fees or costs unless you receive a settlement.