Seeking to raise awareness about the rights of immigrant worker, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. brought together three dozen leaders of immigrant and ethnic advocacy groups and associations last month to create community-based partnerships focused on educating workers and combating prevailing wage violations in the City.

"Workers often are too intimidated to step forward and file complaints against their employers," Comptroller Thompson said. "I want to create an environment in which workers can communicate their circumstances in their own language to people who understand their concerns, and ensure that workers are put in contact with the appropriate government agency."

The Comptroller's Office enforces certain State and City laws and regulations that require private-sector contractors engaged in public work projects in the City to pay no less than the prevailing wage to their employees. The Office also issues prevailing wage schedules, or wage rates, for various types of trades and occupations. Private contractors who violate the law may be barred from bidding on or being given any public work within the State of New York for five years or the case handed over to the District Attorney.

As part of the outreach effort, Thompson's office plans to distribute bilingual pamphlets translated into several languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Polish, Russian, Urdu, and Greek.

"Most contractors are honest and law-abiding," Thompson said. "However, there are dishonest contractors who knowingly fail to pay workers a decent wage, money that they have earned and that they legally deserve."

Several organizations have joined forces with the Comptroller on the issue, including Polish American Congress, New York City Refugee Employment Project, Hermanos Fraternas de Hoiza Alder, Inc., Japanese American Social Services, Inc., New York Association for New Americans, Inc. (NYANA), Korean Community Services Education Development Institute, Riverside Language Program, Queensborough Community College / CUNY International Student Affairs and Center for Immigration, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund / South Asian Workers Project for Human Rights, Legal Aid Society, Caribbean Research Center, Medgar Evers College, South Bronx Action Group, Inc., Catholic Charities' Immigration and Referral Services, New York State Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, New York Immigration Coalition, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, New York City Central Labor Council, HANAC, Inc., the Marymount Manhattan College Institute for Immigrant Concerns, Multicultural American Coalition, Loisaida, Inc., the Multicultural American Coalition, International Rescue Committee, and Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.