Denver, CO
Denver recovered a record amount of wage theft money this year. Stronger protections for workers may be coming
When Michael Ginzel did every week of building work for a contractor in Denver, Ginzel mentioned his employer informed him to count on a verify within the mail. Weeks glided by with no cash, and Ginzel’s calls went unanswered. He confirmed as much as the employer’s home in particular person and located himself in what he known as a combative and harmful state of affairs.
“I used to be determined, I had no cash, no work,” Ginzel informed Metropolis Council at this week’s Finance and Governance Committee public remark session on preventing wage theft. “It’s not essentially about doing what is true for the employees, it’s additionally about defending their security.”
Metropolis Council is weighing an ordinance that will strengthen protections for staff experiencing wage theft.
It has the assist of labor leaders, however companies fear it would add paperwork and hurt small companies. On Tuesday, Council members on the Finance and Governance Committee expressed assist for the proposal, however voted to postpone passing it to the total council with a view to reply further questions and have interaction with companies. A particular assembly to vote on sending the proposal to the total council is scheduled for Dec. 20.
Dialogue of the ordinance comes throughout a 12 months the place Denver recovered a document $1.1 million in wages for staff in 2022, in contrast with round $690,000 in 2021 and round $1 million in 2020.
A report from the Colorado Fiscal Institute estimates that employers steal an estimated $728 million from staff throughout the state, with low earnings staff, staff of colour and girls most in danger. The report estimates that this interprets to an approximate $45 million in misplaced tax income for the state.
In 2022, one of many largest sums recovered in Denver got here from a $207,000 case for 35 folks working for trash elimination companies and disposal web site contracts, the place the contractor was incorrectly claiming advantages like medical health insurance, paid day off or retirement plans.
One other investigation recovered about $48,000 for 107 workers working for a valet parking firm, which was underpaying its workers and impartial contractors. “Valet corporations had been certainly one of our most typical areas of underpayments this 12 months,” wrote metropolis Auditor Timothy O’Brien in his report. “We recognized underpayments of greater than $111,000 for staff in that business alone.”
A 3rd case recovered cash and acquired a elevate for an Afghan refugee getting paid beneath minimal wage. The auditor’s workplace didn’t embody the particular person’s job, or identify any particular corporations in its report.
“We encourage any group teams to achieve out in the event that they know of a attainable underpayment,” O’Brien wrote. “The minimal wage applies to all work carried out within the Metropolis and County of Denver, no matter a employee’s immigration standing.”
In 2023, Denver’s minimal wage is rising from $15.87 to $17.29 per hour, apart from folks within the meals and beverage business, who can declare as much as $3.02 per hour in documented ideas.
Metropolis Council’s ordinance would strengthen protections for staff towards wage theft.
Councilwomen Stacie Gilmore, Candi CdeBaca and Amanda Sawyer, and Council President Jamie Torres, sponsored an ordinance on stopping wage theft at Council’s Finance and Governance Committee on Tuesday.
The brand new coverage would enable employee complaints to go on to the auditor. “By avoiding courts and threats of jail time, staff can receives a commission extra rapidly,” wrote the Council members in a presentation on the ordinance.
Torres defined that employers typically keep away from paying out owed wages by classifying staff as impartial contractors, which is why the ordinance would increase to incorporate impartial contractors as effectively. It might additionally enable staff to take their complaints up the chain of command, even when their employer is bancrupt and can’t pay.
The ordinance would additionally give staff the chance to deliver a civil motion to courtroom, as a substitute of going via the auditor.
The sponsors emphasised that the proposal just isn’t meant to unfairly goal unintentional theft, and that the auditor has flexibility in penalties imposed.
“We’re actually going after people who find themselves deliberately withholding wages, don’t repair points in 30 days and/or don’t cooperate with investigation, so this isn’t supposed for individuals who make an trustworthy mistake,” CdeBaca mentioned.
On the committee assembly, individuals who had skilled wage theft shared their tales.
Building staff spoke about being pressured to categorise as self-employed, not getting extra time pay and never with the ability to qualify for unemployment. Labor leaders additionally acknowledged that wage theft makes it troublesome for lawful companies to compete.
David Hernandez spoke on behalf of painters, drywall finishers and different building staff. He mentioned his union present in a survey that one in six of their staff had skilled wage theft. “Like me, there are staff in all places being victims of wage theft,” he mentioned. “Not solely that, however there are various corporations that make the most of these staff’ immigration standing.”
Labor organizer Alejo Gonzalez shared the tales of residence care staff, who’re predominantly ladies of colour, together with somebody who needed to reside in her automotive and one other who skipped meals after checks bounced.
“Day-after-day this occurs,” Gonzalez mentioned. “The espresso that a few of you’re consuming, these baristas are experiencing it. The lunches and dinners you had, these restaurant staff are experiencing it.”
Enterprise leaders denounced wage theft, however mentioned Council’s proposal would damage the enterprise group.
Leaders expressed concern with the flexibility for staff to deliver complaints up the chain, saying that it might disproportionately have an effect on small and minority owned companies that haven’t finished something mistaken.
Jess Kostelnik, who spoke on behalf of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, condemned wage theft, however mentioned that Colorado already has robust state and federal protections. “We severely query the necessity for and efficacy of Denver’s wage theft proposal as it’s at the moment written,” she mentioned. “[It] would make proudly owning a enterprise and doing enterprise in Denver much more bureaucratically nightmarish.”
Others requested for a delay. “Let me be clear, we don’t assist wage theft, we strongly imagine that everybody must be paid for his or her work,” mentioned Kate Barton, Chief of Exterior Affairs for Downtown Denver Partnership. “We wish to be certain that your entire enterprise group, these which are most impacted by this coverage, have the chance to supply significant suggestions and guarantee this coverage has the specified affect.”
CdeBaca mentioned that in growing the ordinance, town checked out states like Maryland and Massachusetts with related laws that allowed legal responsibility for wage theft to go up the chain of command. “There’s nonetheless clearly enterprise occurring, nonetheless clearly building occurring at unprecedented ranges,” she mentioned.
The Los Angeles Lakers will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night in the play-in tournament, and the winner will move on to face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets swept the Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals, which has sparked some dialogue about whether or not the Lakers would be better off losing their initial play-in game, and shooting for the 8th seed.
While this is an outlandish thought to many, it is something being discussed in certain media realms, including on the recent episode of Gil’s Arena. When speaking about this Lakers vs. Pelicans game, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas said, “We losing. Sorry Golden State, we’ll play you second game. You crazy? … If we lose Tuesday, what are we playing OKC? OKC? We’re spanking that.”
While Arenas made it clear he feels the Lakers should position themselves for 8th and a date with OKC, he made another statement about how Los Angeles would line up with Denver if Jamal Murray were to be less than 100% healthy.
“We might want Denver if Murray is still on a minutes restriction,” Arenas said. “Only if he’s on a minutes restriction. If Murray ain’t out there averaging 20… I’m just gonna be honest with you, I’m not trying to play them the first round.”
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Denver, CO
Phillies walk-off Rockies 2-1 as Colorado drops series opener, first extra-innings game of 2024
The Rockies found misery again in their first extra-inning game of the season.
Philadelphia walked off Colorado, 2-1, in the series opener at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night, dropping the Rockies to 4-13 on the year.
The Rockies couldn’t solve ace Aaron Nola, and then came up short in a pair of opportunities to score in the ninth and 10th innings before Cristian Pache’s single lifted Philadelphia to the victory.
“Whoever came out on the short end of this one, it was going to be a tough one,” Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters. “Nola pitched great, and so did (Cal) Quantrill. … It was a well-played game by both sides.”
Quantrill was all the Rockies could ask for, throwing six innings of one-run ball with just four hits allowed. It was by far his best start in a Rockies uniform.
His lone blemish came in the third, when Bryce Harper hit a two-out single to score Trea Turner to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
“(Quantrill) had a good split-finger going, and his secondary pitches mixing with the fastballs kept them honest,” Black said.
But as Quantrill held Philadelphia at bay, the Colorado offense got virtually no traction against Nola. That finally changed in the fifth, when Michael Toglia launched a 389-foot, no-doubt homer to right center to tie the game 1-1. Up until that point, the Rockies’ lone baserunners came from singles by Brenton Doyle and Elias Diaz.
Justin Lawrence took care of the seventh inning, and the combination of Jalen Beeks and Nick Mears kept the Phillies off the board in the eighth despite a leadoff walk issued by Beeks to Kyle Schwarber.
In the ninth, Diaz stroked a two-out double off former Colorado pitcher Jeff Hoffman. Kyle Freeland pinch ran for Diaz, getting to third on a wild pitch, and an intentional walk to Nolan Jones followed.
With Elehuris Montero at the plate, another wild pitch from Hoffman was gathered by J.T. Realmuto just off the dirt circle behind home after the ball bounced straight up in the air. The Phillies catcher fired it to Hoffman at the plate and tagged Freeland out.
The Rockies challenged, possibly in an attempt to get an obstruction call, but the call stood to end the inning. Freeland appeared to hurt his right shoulder on the play when Hoffman — his close friend — fell on top of him. Freeland went right into the clubhouse after the play, but then reappeared in the dugout shortly after. The speed at which the play developed exempted Hoffman from an obstruction violation.
“The home plate umpire saw (that play) as a convergence of two players coming in and both trying to make a play,” Black said. “Kyle trying to get to home plate, and Hoffman trying to get the ball from Realmuto. The convergence and the speed of the play was such where no blocking of the plate was called.”
Black said Freeland is “fine” despite immediately rolling on the dirt in pain after the play. The manager said he chose Freeland to pinch run because “we were trying to win the game” and the pitcher “is one of our fastest players.”
Mears went back out for the ninth, and set the Phillies down in order to force extras.
“On the road in the bottom of the ninth against a championship (caliber) team — good for Nick,” Black said. “That was a growth moment for him.”
Seranthony Domínguez pitched the Philadelphia top half of the 10th, but Montero, Toglia and Doyle were retired in order to strand Nolan Jones at third base.
Jake Bird took the mound for the Rockies in the 10th, and the Phillies led off with Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice bunt to advance the runner Bryson Stott to third. Two batters later, Pache singled Stott home on a stroke to right to walk-off the Rockies.
Black said outfielder Jake Cave and second baseman Brendan Rodgers were unavailable on Monday due to sickness, while Kris Bryant — who left Saturday’s game in Toronto with back stiffness and hasn’t played since — was also unavailable.
Tuesday’s pitching matchup
Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-0, 4.91) at Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez (2-0, 2.65)
4:40 p.m. (MDT) Tuesday, Citizens Bank Park
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Gomber’s lone road start so far this year was mediocre, as Arizona touched him up for four runs in four-plus innings on March 30, which included two homers and three walks. Gomber’s been using his changeup a bit more this year, and he needs his offspeed to be effective, as he’s averaging just 89.9 mph on his fastball. On Monday, he’ll need to be wary of Alec Bohm, as the Phillies third baseman has two homers in five at-bats against him.
Suarez, a southpaw from Venezuela, is off to a solid start to the year. That’s included quality starts each of the last two times out, and a six-inning, no-run gem last week against Pittsburgh. He has 19 strikeouts through 17 innings pitched, so the K-heavy Rockies will need to put the ball in play against him. The Rockies have seen little of him, and haven’t fared well: a .189 average over 37 at-bats.
Pitching probables
Wednesday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-1, 3.38) at Phillies LHP Cristopher Sanchez (0-2, 3.52), 4:05 p.m.
Thursday: Off day
Friday: Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (1-2, 7.98) at Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson (0-3, 4.15), 6:40 p.m.
A group of student engineers from Denver South High School are seeing the fruits of their labor as a years-long project comes to life. They’re getting ready to take their modified and solar-powered bike on its maiden journey.
The solar bike — also known as the “Solar Quest Lancer” — is a completely electric bike charged with solar power and custom-made batteries. It also has a body built around it and the driver.
“It’s exciting to see it actually come to life,” said Jack Dawnson, a senior at South High. He and his classmates have been working on the bike for the past two years.
“I have never done anything electrical in my life, so it was an experience for me to learn how to put together batteries, to learn how to use the solar charge, and overall just make it work,” he said.
The project is part of South High School’s Makerspace — an organization where students’ ideas can become inventions.
Zach Marchetti is the technology director and sponsor of Makerspace.
“Everybody kinda pitches in and becomes a great community project,” said Marchetti. He says the Solar Quest Lancer has seen its fair share of challenges. “We had to build the body in three separate pieces so it could move up and down the stairs of the school.”
Now the Solar Quest Lancer is ready to be put to the test.
“We wanted to see if we could make a car that could go from here to the Kansas border on solar power,” Marchetti says.
The trip will take nine hours to travel 180 miles, only going about 30 miles per hour. It’s an example of a trip that’s not about the destination – but about the journey.
“I’m feeling pretty excited. A little bit skeptical in a way,” said Dawnson. “It’s going to be a long drive. It’s gonna be fun.”
They plan to make the trip within the next few weeks, after sorting out logistics with the insurance, route and maintenance.
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