Lawler Campaign Bars Bloomberg Reporters After Canvasser Lawsuit
A group of 12 out-of-state canvassers has sued Rep. Mike Lawler’s reelection campaign and several consulting firms, alleging they were promised weekly wages of $1,200 to $3,000, housing and travel costs, but received as little as $1 for each door they knocked on. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan on Friday. The workers also allege they were dismissed after objecting to workplace practices and discrimination.
After Bloomberg published coverage of the case, Lawler’s campaign told the outlet it was canceling its reporters’ event RSVPs and press credentials. The campaign said Bloomberg reporters who tried to attend would be treated as trespassers. Campaign manager Ciro Riccardi said requests for exceptions would be considered after the event.
Lawler disputed the workers’ connection to his campaign, saying they were employed by subcontractors of America PAC, an outside political action committee. He also said the campaign had not hired, employed or paid them, and criticized Bloomberg for publishing before he had a chance to respond to the 53-page complaint. The campaign said the workers’ employers were outside contractors, whom federal law bars it from coordinating with.
The lawsuit describes the pay and benefits offered in recruitment materials as different from what the canvassers received. The allegations have not been established in court. Lawler is seeking another term in New York’s 17th Congressional District, where he faces Cait Conley, a former Army major who served as a counterterrorism director on the National Security Council.
Lawler Punishes Bloomberg After Canvassers Allege Campaign Abuses
A lawsuit by 12 out-of-state canvassers raises serious questions about the treatment of workers on Rep. Mike Lawler’s reelection effort. Filed in Manhattan federal court on Friday, it alleges they were recruited with promises of $1,200 to $3,000 in weekly pay, free housing and paid travel, then paid as little as $1 per door knocked. The workers also say they were let go after raising concerns about workplace practices and discrimination.
Rather than welcome scrutiny, Lawler’s campaign revoked Bloomberg reporters’ event credentials and RSVPs after the outlet published its coverage. The campaign said reporters who attempted to attend would be treated as trespassers. Its manager, Ciro Riccardi, said requests for exceptions would be answered only after the event.
Lawler denies that the canvassers worked for his campaign. He says they were employed by subcontractors of America PAC and argues that his campaign neither hired nor paid them. But that response does not resolve the workers’ allegations about the promises made to recruit them or their claims that they were punished for speaking up. The campaign also criticized Bloomberg for publishing before Lawler had responded to the complaint.
The claims remain allegations in a lawsuit, not findings by a court. Lawler is seeking reelection in New York’s 17th District against Cait Conley, a former Army major and counterterrorism director on the National Security Council.
Lawler Rejects Canvasser Lawsuit as Bloomberg Faces Campaign Ban
Rep. Mike Lawler says a lawsuit over canvassers’ pay is wrongly being pinned on his reelection campaign. The 12 out-of-state workers allege they were promised weekly wages of $1,200 to $3,000, lodging and travel, but received as little as $1 per door knocked. They also claim they were dismissed after raising concerns about workplace practices and discrimination.
Lawler says the workers never worked for, were hired by or were paid by his campaign. A campaign statement attributed their employment to subcontractors of America PAC, an outside political action committee that federal law bars campaigns from coordinating with. The complaint was filed Friday in Manhattan federal court, and its claims have not been proven.
After Bloomberg published an account of the lawsuit, Lawler’s campaign canceled the outlet’s reporters’ RSVPs and press credentials, warning that reporters who came would be treated as trespassers. Campaign manager Ciro Riccardi said the outlet could seek exceptions, but that requests would be addressed after the event.
Lawler also faulted Bloomberg for publishing before he could respond to the 53-page filing, saying the campaign had only a short time to review it. The dispute puts the allegations and the campaign’s denial before voters as Lawler seeks another term in New York’s 17th District against Cait Conley, a former Army major and National Security Council counterterrorism director.
Reported by Raw Story, The Daily Beast.
