Hochul: Discrimination compensation nearly $7M in fiscal 2023

More than 1,000 people who filed discrimination complaints with the state in fiscal 2023 — including 139 on Long Island — were awarded nearly $7 million in compensation, the highest total in the past six years, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week.

The $6.7 million awarded by the state's Division of Human Rights to 1,012 victims represented a 7.4% increase from the compensation awarded in fiscal year 2022, and a 26.8% increase from 2019, Hochul said.

She added that the division issued $269,000 in fines against employers, housing providers and businesses for "discriminatory practices and policies."

"Securing this funding furthers our efforts to help victims seek the justice they deserve and make New York a safer state for all," Hochul said in a statement.

Among recipients on Long Island: a Black man who alleged he was discriminated and harassed on the job because of his race and status as a military veteran, and a salesperson who had accused her employer of age discrimination.

Maria Imperial, human rights division commissioner, said in a statement: "When discrimination occurs — whether in housing, education or employment — that right and opportunity is taken away. As the enforcement agency for our state's Human Rights Law, we will continue to empower the public through educational outreach and use every tool at our disposal to ensure that every New Yorker is treated lawfully and fairly."

The 139 Long Island discrimination cases resulted in a total of $690,595 in compensation. Of the complaints, 113 came from places of employment, resulting in $577,845 in compensation; 15 were housing complaints, resulting in $106,750 in compensation; and 11 came from public accommodation complaints resulting in $6,000 in compensation.

One Long Island case involved a sales person at a trucking and logistics firm who was awarded $24,435 because of age discrimination.

"The employer pressured her to retire early, made derogatory comments about her ability to learn due to her age, and ultimately replaced her with a younger employee during restructuring," according to the governor's office. The firm was fined $10,000.

In another case, a Long Island man who worked as a manager for a logistics and shipping company alleged he faced harassment and discrimination because he was African American, an Army reservist and had experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. The man alleged that when he reported misconduct by subordinates he was terminated, whereas white managers were not. The case was settled for $46,000.

Laura Harding, president of the Syosset-based civil rights group ERASE Racism, said the state's announcement was "important," both in the increase in compensation awarded, and to raise public awareness.

"I think it's important for the state to enforce the anti-discrimination laws, as it finds evidence," Harding said in an interview Wednesday. "The announcement of these fines hopefully mean that violators are put on notice that this is something that will not be tolerated."

Yet Harding wondered whether enough is being done to proactively enforce anti-discrimination laws.

"We don't know the number of complaints" filed. With a state as large as New York, 1,000 complaints, she said, didn't seem to be an "accurate number of people who've experienced discrimination."

Harding continued: "Are we relying on complaints to identify issues, versus compliance with anti-discrimination laws so you don't have to wait on complaints? … As always, there's more work to be done … The announcement of the fines lets people know they need to be careful. But we also need to be sure every New Yorker knows that these policies exist" and "that they can call the Division of Human Rights if they feel they've been victimized."

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie