Seasonal laborers have filed a class action lawsuit against the city for allegedly failing to pay them living wages. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of more than 60 employees of Buffalo's public works department. The employees work for the city year-round in mainly street sanitation and engineering roles, but are classified as seasonal because they typically are laid off for up to a week every six months.
The workers receive $8.15 and hour, which is well below the city's living wage ordinance that went up to $11.11 an hour. The lawsuit names the city of Buffalo and Mayor Byron Brown as defendants and seeks monetary compensation back to at least January 2002.
