Rikers Island Cleaners Awarded $1.1M for Wage Theft by CleanTech

In January 2025, New York’s Attorney General Letitia James secured $1.13 million in restitution for approximately 250 immigrant cleaning workers at Rikers Island, who endured wage theft, forced kickbacks, and denial of paid sick leave during the COVID pandemic. Some workers returned up to $240 of their weekly pay to crew chiefs just to keep their jobs.     

Why It Matters:

• Illustrates that public contractors—even on government prison facilities—can be held accountable for wage theft NYC.
  

• Highlights unlawful practices like forced kickbacks, wage misreporting, and retaliation for workplace complaints.
  

• Signals enforcement readiness from the Attorney General’s office to fight systemic abuse.
  

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