A Yonkers paper products company and one of its officers have agreed to pay 16 current and former workers $55,000 in back wages after the U.S. Labor Department alleged the company violated wage and hour laws for two years.

AHN Corp., which labor officials said had its business at 430 Nepperhan Ave., and Haytham Abuali, agreed to make the payments, which include interest.

The labor department said in its lawsuit the company violated minimum wage and overtime laws from September 2004 through September 2006. The company also did not keep accurate records, the labor department said.

Phone records do not contain a listing for AHN or Abuali. Court records do not indicate that either the company or Abuali had a lawyer in the lawsuit the labor department filed in U.S. District Court in White Plains.

“Workers in low-wage industries are just as entitled as anyone else to be paid properly for all the hours they work,” said Sonia Rybak, an assistant district director with the labor department.

An order signed by Judge Charles L. Brieant prohibits the company and Abuali from any future violations of the law. The company and Abuali agreed to the judgment without admitting or denying the allegations in the lawsuit.

If the defendants do not make the payments Brieant will appoint a receiver with the power to seize and liquidate the company’s assets to make the payments. The judge also ordered the company to advise the workers of their rights.

John Chavez, a labor department spokesman in Boston, said it was unclear how much of the money owed was for regular wages and how much was for overtime.

The law requires that workers receive one and one-half times their hourly rate for all hours over 40 in a week.

Court records show the individuals are entitled to amounts ranging from a low of $945.96 to a high of $8,415.94.
The company is required to make the payments in monthly installments of $9,166 each.

Westchester County’s Playland amusement park will sponsor a job fair Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

Playland, in Rye, maintains seasonal employment from April through September. Positions to be filled include ride operators, cashiers, custodial, beach and pool, maintenance, lifeguards, clerical and emergency medical technicians.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old, or 18 for certain positions. Applicants younger than 18 who complete an application prior to the event must have the form signed by a parent or guardian to be considered for an interview. Those under 18 who wish to complete their application at the job fair must bring a parent or guardian to the event to sign the form so an interview may take place.

To apply during the job fair, bring a completed application, a valid photo identification and Social Security card. Applications can be obtained by calling 914-813-7010, or via e-mail at playlandjobs@westchestergov.com. You can also download and print an application by logging on to www.ryeplayland.org.

Robert McCracken, the president of Local 1103 of the Communications Workers of America, is stepping down from the job after 29 years. He will be replaced by Joseph Barca, the vice president since 2003. The local represents 1,500 Verizon Communications Inc. workers in the region. It also represents about 500 other workers, including technicians at Nyack Hospital, librarians in Rye and government workers in Connecticut. The CWA is in the early stages of negotiating a new contract with Verzion, the phone company in Manhattan.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is co-sponsoring the Hudson Valley Family Health and Safety Fair Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

The free event will provide information to guard against health-and-safety hazards on the job, at home and on the road. It will feature workshops, health information and screenings, demonstrations, prizes and activities for children.

OSHA is co-sponsoring the event with the Rochester Institute of Technology, OSHA Education Center and the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants-OSHA Alliance.

Highlights include:

• Safety and health workshops in English and Spanish on chemical and electrical hazards, scaffolding, falls, trenching, machine guarding, traffic, landscaping, fire and tool safety and personal protective equipment.

• Workshops for young employees focusing on permitted and prohibited jobs and work hours, employee rights, and safe work in restaurants, retail and supermarkets.

• Health screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, weight, eyesight and mental health, as well as health and wellness information from area health and human service organizations.

• Information booths and demonstrations by public safety agencies on fire hazards, seat belt use and bike safety, including free car seat exchanges and bike helmets.

• Booths staffed by federal, state, county and local agencies to provide information about workplace regulations and laws.

Reorganization at Reader’s Digest Association Inc. has created new jobs and some staff turnover, and the Chappaqua publisher is now trying to fill 80 openings.

It’s a large number, Digest spokesman William Adler said, although the company had no comparison figures that could be considered typical. More than 800 people work at the headquarters and 6,000 worldwide.

Many of the openings are new to the headquarters. Weekly Reader Publishing Group moved this year to Chappaqua from Stamford, Conn., and not all the employees opted for the commute, Adler said. Reader’s Digest also has added sales jobs and positions in IT and various Web sites, including Every Day with Rachel Ray and Taste of Home.

The publisher also is looking to replace Christine Guilfoyle, who will leave next month as publisher of Every Day with Rachel Ray to be publisher of Conde Nast’s Women’s Wear Daily. The Digest said a successor would be announced soon.

The staff openings are driven in part by the Digest’s sale earlier this year to a private investor group led by Ripplewood Holdings. Chief Executive Officer Mary Berner recently completed hiring a new executive team, many from Berner’s former employer, Conde Nast’s Fairchild Publications.

“The heart of Mary Berner’s strategy for the company is high performance at all levels, and as part of that we’re targeting a goal of having high-performing individuals in every position in the company,� Adler wrote in an email.

Job seekers can contact the head of the recruiting team, Tracey Wilmot, director of talent acquisition, at tracey_wilmot@rd.com. The openings are listed at www.rd.com/careers.

Robert X. Cringely, a noted technology columnist who writes “I, Cringely” for PBS.org, has written a weekly column that might be sending chills through IBM ranks. He said his sources are telling him that Armonk-based IBM Corp. will fire 100,000 or more Global Services staffers this year in the United States in a project called “LEAN.” Last week’s layoffs, which affected 15 people in Westchester County, and totaled about 1,300, according to the Communications Workers of America, are only the beginning, Cringely writes.

Cringely writes: “For two years Big Blue has been ramping up its operations in India and China with what I have been told is the ultimate goal of laying off at least one American worker for every overseas hire.”

Cringely believes the layoffs will occur before the end of 2007 and are a direct effort to boost IBM’s stock price.

IBM declined to comment.

Analyst Bob Djurdjevic, president of Annex Research in Phoenix and a longtime IBM watcher and expert, told Networkworld that he thinks Cringely’s ideas are “hogwash.”
In the meantime, Cringely advises IBMers who work in Global Services to ask their managers directly if their jobs are targeted for elimination.

We’d also like to hear from any IBM employee who has information about project LEAN and whether Cringely is off base or on target. Write to Julie Moran Alterio at jalterio@lohud.com or call 914-694-5228.

Armonk-based IBM Corp. laid off 15 employees today out of its roughly 7,500 in Westchester County, all engaged in information technology delivery.

“These actions were designed to keep operations competitive and to reduce structural costs,� said spokeswoman Gretchen H. McWhorter.

McWhorter said she did not have any information about whether additional employees outside Westchester were affected. 

She said the laid-off employees will remain on the payroll for a minimum of 30 days from today, after which they will receive their separation benefits. They are eligible for severance pay based on length of service, assistance in finding other jobs within IBM, outplacement assistance, education assistance and extension of benefits, McWhorter said.

IBM had higher revenues and profits in the first quarter ended March 31, with net income of $1.84 billion, or $1.21 a share, on revenues of $22.03 billion.

About 40 janitors, members of Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, protested outside The Westchester mall in White Plains today to call attention to what the union alleges are unfair labor practices against workers who are employees of Control Building Services Inc.

Control Building, the janitorial division of Control Service Group Inc., based in Secaucus, N.J., provides janitorial services at The Westchester and the Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights.

The unfair practices, 32BJ said, include the firing of a janitor at the Jefferson Valley Mall on Monday.

The union alleged that the worker, Gladys Garnica, was fired for engaging in union activity that included leafleting on behalf of other Control Building employees at other malls who aren’t unionized.

In response to this and other alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act, 32BJ filed an amended unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday.

Attempts to reach officials at Control Service for comment weren’t successful. The company employees about 24 janitors at The Westchester and about 16 at Jefferson Valley Mall.

Verizon Wireless is seeking qualified applicants to fill about 400 full- and part-time positions in sales and customer service throughout the New York metropolitan area. To meet the needs of the growing Hispanic population, the company is seeking some people who are bilingual and speak English and Spanish.

The company will hold its next job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday in Melville, Long Island, at the Huntington Hilton on 598 Broad Hollow Road. Applicants can also apply through the company’s Web site (www.verizonwireless.com/careers).

The company has about 3,000 regional employees in the New York metropolitan area, including its Orangeburg headquarters. Last year it hired more than 1,600 employees last year to keep pace with the growing demand for its wireless voice and data products and services, Verizon said.

Chase, the banking unit of financial-services giant JPMorgan Chase & Co., has announced plans to hire 485 personal bankers in New York state, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Nearly half of those hired will report to offices in Westchester, Connecticut, Rockland and New Jersey — 227 in all.

Chase operates 45 bank branches in Westchester and eight in Rockland. Its recent acquisition of Bank of New York has resulted in 61 additional offices in Westchester and 22 in Rockland.

Chase said 130 personal bankers will be added to both Chase and Bank of New York branches in Rockland and New Jersey, while 97 will be hired for offices in Westchester and Connecticut.

Chase declined to provide the exact number of hires in Rockland and Westchester counties specifically for competitive reasons, it said.

Personal bankers help customers with checking and savings accounts, credit cards, home-equity loans and mortgages.

In addition, each newly hired banker will be required to earn a Series 6 license, which allows them to sell mutual funds and annuities.

A festive atmosphere prevailed yesterday among business parties usually cast as rivals.

The developers of three major projects on the drawing boards in Yonkers and New Rochelle said they have a deal that would provide a leg up for a prominent labor union to organize employees after the projects are built.

The announcement was made at the Yonkers Public Library by officials of Struever Fidelco Cappelli LLC, who plan to develop Palisades Point and River Center Park in the city; Cappelli Enterprises, the developer of the Le Count Square project in New Rochelle; and Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union.

About two dozen union members wearing their signature purple coats and shirts also were on hand, as well as officials from Yonkers and New Rochelle government.

The projects combine commercial and residential development. Hundreds of new building service jobs — superintendents, janitors, doormen, and others — are expected to be created once the projects are completed. The projects are under review by government officials in both cities, and developers are hopeful for approval this year.

Yesterday’s deal was not a union contract, given that there are no new employees to represent. The deal recognizes Local 32BJ as the exclusive bargaining agent for new workers if a majority of them choose to join it through a card check process.

Local 32BJ now has about 4,500 members in Westchester, and 85,000 in total. Developers said they welcomed the arrangement as part of a growing relationship with labor.

“This is a good thing for all parties,� said Joseph V. Apicella, executive vice president for a division of Cappelli Enterprises.

“We were paying prevailing wages anyway, so it was really a no-brainer … We’re going to continue to have organized labor as a partner.â€?

Yonkers City Councilman Dennis M. Robertson and New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson both received standing ovations from local members. Government officials said their communities benefit when residents can obtain jobs that provide good wages and benefits.

The qualities that can help Latinos compete on the job can also hold them back, according to a new book co-authored by a Briarcliff Manor writer.
“The Latino Advantage in the Workplace — Use Who You Are to Get to Where You Want to Be,� (Sphinx Publishing, $19.95; thelatinoadvantage.com) explores some of the cultural ground that Mariela Dabbah covered in her previous book on helping immigrants find employment.

That book, “How to Find Work in the United States,� was written in Spanish and aimed at helping newcomers take the first step toward adapting to a new culture. “Latino Advantage� is written in English for an audience that includes second-generation Hispanics who are already employed and looking to take the next step up the career ladder.

Dabbah and co-author Arturo Poiré of New York consider various Latino cultural traits, such as adaptability, respect for authority, and a tendency to speak indirectly. (The authors say in the preface that the generalizations are necessary to help understand behaviors, and readers shouldn’t assume that the qualities are exclusively Latino.)

Those qualities are valued by employers. The book warns, however, that bosses can also exploit them. Latino workers may allow a natural tendency toward avoiding confrontation and deferring to authority to work at cross-purposes to their own advancement.

“You’re not even aware of them. You might undermine your career and not know why,� Dabbah said.

The book is filled with anecdotal examples of behaviors and, in the American spirit of self-improvement, exercises that allow the readers to explore their own mindsets.

“It’s a very down-to-earth, theoretical book,� Dabbah said. “It gives you the instruments to be aware of what you have and what you need to work on.�

She and Poiré, a senior human resources executive at a global financial corporation, worked on the book for about a year before its release last month. Poiré was one of the people that Dabbah had interviewed for her previous book, and the exchange led to subsequent discussions that produced the latest project.

“Latino Advantage� is already in its second printing. The two writers are working on a workshop program for corporations that uses the book’s principles. While aimed at Latinos, non-Hispanic managers will find its observations helpful as well.

Poiré said an Irish-American manager told him that some of the stories resonated with her.

“There are things that I’m reading here that are very powerful,� he recalled her saying. “It’s a very positive book. It talks about success and dreams.�

LeCroy Corp. has added 60 manufacturer’s representatives to its sales force to market its line of low-end and middle-end digital oscilloscopes, the Chestnut Ridge company said yesterday. The new sales team will sell the WaveRunner, WaveSurfer and WaveJet digital oscilloscopes in the United States. LeCroy said it has had success selling the line in Europe using a sales strategy it hopes to replicate here.

Jarden Corp., the Rye-based company that markets Mr. Coffee, Coleman and other home product brands, has a new program to recruit and hire qualified military veterans for its operations nationwide. Jarden chairman and chief executive Martin Franklin said the program, called Operation Careers for Veterans, is intended as “a sign of respect for people who have served their country.�

“We’ve been in a period of high levels of active duty among military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq, and you’ve got a lot of those boys coming home,� he said. “As a large company, I think we have a civic duty to try to provide employment.�

Currently, Jarden has a program that supplements the income of employees in the reserves who are called to active duty. For this new program, Jarden will contact military bases near its manufacturing facilities, and it will form partnerships with military branches and HireVetsFirst (www.hirevetsfirst.gov), a nationwide employment program for veterans.

For more information, contact Dave Tolbert, senior vice president for human resources, at 914-967-9400, or visit the company’s Web site (www.jarden.com).

Nursing assistants and other workers at Northern Riverview Health Care Center Inc. in Haverstraw will hold a vigil outside the nursing home at 3:30 p.m. today to protest the lack of a contract.

The workers have been without a contract for five years, according to Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union.

“Caregivers at Northern Riverview are among the lowest paid of nursing home workers in the area and also have some of the poorest benefits,� said union Vice President Greg Speller, creating a revolving door of caregivers.

In addition to nursing assistants, kitchen, housekeeping and laundry workers — about 140 in all — at the home won the right to be represented by Local 1199 earlier this year.

Read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News.

Reach David Schepp at dschepp@lohud.com or 845-578-2437.

Westchester and Rockland employers are expected to hire at a rate higher than those in New York City metropolitan area generally, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook survey.

From January to March a third of Westchester- and Rockland-based companies anticipated increasing the size of their work forces during the first quarter, while 51 percent expected no change. Manpower said 3 percent of area employers planned to reduce their number of employees, and 13 percent said they didn’t know.

In the larger New York City metropolitan area, which, in addition to Rockland and Westchester counties, also includes southern Connecticut, New York City and Long Island, 23 percent of employers said they expected to add personnel, 64 percent anticipated no change and 8 percent planned to cut staff.

Job prospects for the region appear best in construction, durable-goods manufacturing, finance/insurance/real estate and services, Manpower said.

Though first-quarter hiring activity is expected to be less than that in the current fourth quarter, “Employers are more optimistic about hiring than they were a year ago,� said Manpower spokeswoman Paula Zimmerman.

The quarterly survey combines statistics for Westchester and Rockland and doesn’t provide individual statistics for Putnam County. It is based on interviews with more than 14,000 public and private employers in 460 markets across the United States.

For New York City, Manpower reported that 16 percent of employers planned to boost their employment rolls in the coming quarter, while 78 percent expected to maintain current levels. Just 6 percent planned to cut jobs.

In the United States overall, 23 percent of businesses anticipated adding jobs, with 60 percent reporting no change expected in the number of workers they employ and 11 percent planning to cut jobs. Six percent of employers were undecided.

Avon Products Inc., which has a research center in Suffern and back-office operations in Rye, disclosed today that its expects to spend up to $15 million to cut more jobs as part of its ongoing restructuring. Avon, based in Manhattan, said the cuts were approved by the company’s board of directors Friday, according to its filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It isn’t known how many employees or which facilities were affected. The total costs of $12 million to $15 million include $11 million to $14 million for costs related to the job cuts and about $1 million in other expenses. Avon said it expects to announce further job cuts as part of the $500 million restructuring, which was announced last November. Shares of the beauty-products company were down 16 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $32.96 a share at about 11:40 a.m.

Unionized health-care workers from Ramapo Manor Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Suffern staged an informational picket yesterday to protest what they said is inadequate staffing.

But the head of the center said the workers are misinformed, the staffing levels are strong and the care at Ramapo Manor is superb.

At mid-afternoon, about 25 pickets from Local 199 of the Service Employees International Union, were taking part in the demonstration.

“The staff is being cut and it’s unsafe for our residents,� said Deborah Stoute, a licensed practical nurse.

She said the staff cares for people with diabetes, bad wounds and other serious conditions.

Marsha Squires, the administrator and president at the center, said staffing levels sometimes dip on a shift if a number of workers have called in sick and management is unable to get replacements. But even then, the staffing levels are solid, she said.

She said she believes that the center’s staff is the best in the region.