HOMELESS TO GET $816,000 IN BACK WAGES
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by HOMELESS PEOPLE'S NETWORK NEW YORK (AP) _ A class action lawsuit has ended in victory for 198 formerly homeless people who won back wages of $816,000 from two powerful business improvement districts. The plaintiffs won the money from the Grand Central Partnership and the 34th Street Partnership in 1998 but received no funds because of an appeal. A settlement this month cleared the way for the plaintiffs to receive the money at last. Tommy Washington, who was to collect money owed him for more than 1,000 hours of work, told The New York Times, ``It has nothing to do with the money. It's the principle.'' He added, ``They were dragging this on, because they figured, addicts, people in and out of the prison system, sick people _ how many were going to be around to collect?'' Officials with the two business districts said in a statement Tuesday that they were ``gratified that this matter has been brought to an amicable resolution.'' The homeless people performed jobs like security and cleaning for the business districts for $1 an hour and promises of a path out of homelessness. They filed a class action lawsuit, and U.S. District Judge Sonia Sotomayor ruled in 1998 that the business improvement districts had violated minimum wage laws, had used the cheap labor of so-called trainees to undercut competitors and had contributed the resulting profits to hefty executive salaries. Corporate lawyers from Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton assisted advocates from the Coalition for the Homeless and the Urban Justice Center in the case. ``To be on the side of the angels and then end up getting what people deserve is very, very satisfying,'' said Jennifer Kroman, 30, an associate at Cleary, Gottlieb. ``Reaching the settlement was one of the most joyful moments of my career.'' The coalition was to distribute the money at a celebration Wednesday evening. AP-ES-10-25-00 1102EDT |