Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) faces a federal lawsuit from 12 canvassers who claim they were exploited, underpaid and subjected to racist abuse while knocking doors for his re-election campaign.
The Daily Beast’s PunchUp reported the suit was filed Friday in the Southern District of New York, and the complaint names Lawler personally, his campaign and seven other defendants, including four consulting and canvassing firms, and alleges wage violations, discrimination and retaliation.
The alleged discriminatory remarks are attributed to contractors, not to Lawler himself, and the complaint does not claim he witnessed them. The claims have not been adjudicated.
The workers say they were recruited from Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland and Michigan to canvass in Westchester County in September. A recruitment flyer promised “$2 A DOOR,” “$1,500 – $3,000 WEEKLY BASE PAY + BONUSES,” plus covered housing and travel.
Instead, the plaintiffs allege, they learned at orientation that they would get $1 per door with no guaranteed pay. They say they had to knock on 100 doors a day to keep their lodging, and that promised travel reimbursements were withdrawn. The complaint claims the defendants deliberately recruited from distant states so workers “would be trapped in New York and would need to continue to work.”
The plaintiffs say they worked 70 to 84 hours a week without minimum wage or overtime, in what they called a “canvassers’ sweat shop.” One canvasser, Bernardette Hurtte-Reid, alleges she was paid just $275, an effective rate of $3.27 to $3.93 an hour.
The suit also alleges that Eric Ramon Diaz Vasquez, director of subcontractor Momentum X Group, told workers the job was so simple “even monkeys can do it.” It says he later told Black canvassers he felt “like he’s surrounded by a group of monkeys.” Vasquez did not respond to a request for comment.
Two older Muslim canvassers allege that recruiter Anastasia Yopp called them “the geriatric crew” and “the ladies with the head wraps.” Yopp denied making the remarks, and she told PunchUp the workers stayed in “nice rooms” at a Hampton Inn in Yonkers and said she had no contact with Lawler’s campaign.
The plaintiffs argue that Lawler and his campaign had enough control over the operation to be held legally responsible, and they are seeking a jury trial.
Lawler’s campaign did not respond to PunchUp’s request for comment. Bloomberg first reported the suit, and the campaign then revoked press credentials for Bloomberg reporters. According to Semafor’s Max Tani, it warned that any Bloomberg reporter who shows up at its events would be “treated as a trespasser.”
President Donald Trump endorsed Lawler on Saturday, one day after the lawsuit was filed, calling him a “true America First Patriot.” Lawler faces Democrat Cait Conley on Tuesday.
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