The Two-Front Newspaper War

It’s the Daily News vs. The Post tabloid war writ small:

A lawsuit alleges free daily newspaper amNew York isn’t paying its distributors minimum wage, according to lawyer Maimon Kirschenbaum, who filed the complaint yesterday in federal court.

Plaintiff James Allen, 52, of Brooklyn, said he started passing out the paper in November and stayed for five months before leaving because of the working conditions.

“They keep you out there for a long time and want you to stay until you finish all your bundles,” Allen told Metro.

Allen said workers get paid a flat fee of $21 a day. After four hours, they would receive an additional $1.50 per bundle. Minimum wage in New York State is $7.15 an hour.

“I would start at 6 a.m. and sometimes work to 10:30 or 11,” said Allen. “You have to wait for a supervisor before you can leave, and sometimes they come late and sign you out late.”

The class action suit asked for unspecified damages from amNew York and its parent company, the Tribune Co.

Allen said he plans to start working as a Metro distributor today. Metro’s distributors are hired by a third party, News & Comics, Inc., and are paid more than $8 an hour. Regardless of how many bundles are left over after his shift, Allen said he was told he wouldn’t be responsible for handing out any more papers.