Two construction workers who were collecting as little as $500 a week under the table from a contractor for the school system have hit the jackpot: nearly $400,000 in back pay.
Francisco Ayala will receive the largest individual settlement in city history as a result of a violation of the “prevailing wage” law when he gets a check for $294,000, Comptroller Scott Stringer announced Friday.
Co-worker Angel Ribadeneira will receive $102,000.
Stringer said National Insulation & GC Corp. never listed Ayala as an employee and paid him $500 per week when he started in December 2006 before hiking his salary to $950 per week by the time he left in November 2010.
The rate is far below the “prevailing wage” city contractors are required to pay, which is on par with what union workers receive.
In this case, city officials said the workers were entitled to $72 per hour — $46 in wages and $26 in benefits.
That comes to more than $1,600 for a 35-hour work-week, plus $900 per week in benefits.
“I plan to deposit the check, pay off whatever current bills I have and research the best way to invest the money,” the Spanish-speaking Ayala said through a translator.
Ribadeneira, who was getting $900 to $950 off the books, pronounced himself “thrilled.”
In addition to the settlements, National Insulation agreed to pay $39,000 in fines to the city.
Calls to the company were not immediately returned.