Trump’s Personal Driver for 25 Years Sues for Unpaid Overtime

[GMDino]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-09/trump-s-personal-driver-for-25-years-sues-for-unpaid-overtime?utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&cmpid=socialflow-facebook-politics&utm_content=politics&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Quote:Donald Trump’s personal driver for more than 25 years says the billionaire real estate developer didn’t pay him overtime and raised his salary only twice in 15 years, clawing back the second raise by cutting off his health benefits.


Noel Cintron, who is listed in public records as a registered Republican, sued the Trump Organization for about 3,300 hours of overtime that he says he worked in the past six years. He’s not allowed to sue for overtime prior to that due to the statute of limitations.


“In an utterly callous display of unwarranted privilege and entitlement and without even a minimal sense of noblesse oblige,” Trump and his businesses exploited the driver, Cintron says in the complaint.










The driver’s allegations echo those of other Trump employees or contractors who have sued the president or his businesses over the years claiming he has underpaid them or failed to honor promises to compensate them for their work. They have included mortgage brokers, landscapers and electricians who say they were stiffed on commissions or fees.


Last year, one of Trump’s luxury golf resorts in Florida was ordered by an appeals court to pay more than $32,000 to a supply company that claimed it wasn’t paid for paint that was used to spruce up the property.
A Trump Organization spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a call for comment on the driver’s lawsuit.

Donald Trump Will See You in Court

Cintron says he was required to be on duty for Trump starting at 7 a.m. each day until whenever Trump, his family or business associates no longer required his services. He worked as long as 55 hours per week, but was paid a fixed salary of $62,700 in 2003, $68,000 in 2006, and $75,000 in 2010, according to the complaint.

The wage bump in 2010 came with a catch, Cintron said. He was induced to surrender his health insurance, saving Trump approximately $17,866 per year in premiums, according to the lawsuit.

"President Trump’s further callousness and cupidity is further demonstrated by the fact that while he is purportedly a billionaire, he has not given his personal driver a meaningful raise in over 12 years!" Cintron said.

Cintron, 59, lives in Queens, New York, his lawyer, Larry Hutcher, said in a phone interview. The driver started working for the Trump Organization about 30 years ago, and worked his way up to chauffeuring the president-to-be.

Cintron said he was Trump’s personal driver until the Secret Service took over.

In addition to the unpaid overtime, Cintron claims the Trump Organization failed to provide annual wage notices as required by New York law. Cintron is seeking about $200,000 in damages, Hutcher said.

The case is Cintron v. Trump Organization LLC, Supreme Court, State of New York (Manhattan).

(Updates with other claims in fourth paragraph.)

[*michaelsean*]

I didn't know salaried employees got overtime, but I think that may depend on the amount they make. That being said, nothing worse than a cheap rich person. I know quite a few wealthy people (not near that level) and they are all self-made, and quite generous. I think the self-made part has a quite a bit to do with it.

[GMDino]

(07-09-2018, 02:08 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I didn't know salaried employees got overtime, but I think that may depend on the amount they make.  That being said, nothing worse than a cheap rich person.  I know quite a few wealthy people (not near that level) and they are all self-made, and quite generous.  I think the self-made part has a quite a bit to do with it.

Could not agree more.

I worked for one.  Generous to a fault becuase he knew what it was like to struggle.

The guys born on third who think they hit a triple are the worst.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

(07-09-2018, 02:08 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I didn't know salaried employees got overtime, but I think that may depend on the amount they make.  That being said, nothing worse than a cheap rich person.  I know quite a few wealthy people (not near that level) and they are all self-made, and quite generous.  I think the self-made part has a quite a bit to do with it.

Paris Hilton is an exception to that rule. I gained a lot of respect for her a long time ago when she was on a show about recognizing celebrities and was working as a gas station attendant. A lady pulled up to a pump in a van and asked for $3.00 in gas to get her kids home or something like that. Paris asked her "Is that all?" and the lady answered "That's all I can afford".
Paris Hilton then ran inside, paid to fill the gas tank, blew her cover for the show and offered more I think.

A lot of respect for that woman just by that act. I believe the producers even said that she requested that to not be aired but I may be making it up in my head.

[*michaelsean*]

(07-09-2018, 03:11 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: Paris Hilton is an exception to that rule. I gained a lot of respect for her a long time ago when she was on a show about recognizing celebrities and was working as a gas station attendant. A lady pulled up to a pump in a van and asked for $3.00 in gas to get her kids home or something like that. Paris asked her "Is that all?" and the lady answered "That's all I can afford".
Paris Hilton then ran inside, paid to fill the gas tank, blew her cover for the show and offered more I think.

A lot of respect for that woman just by that act. I believe the producers even said that she requested that to not be aired but I may be making it up in my head.

Oh I'm sure there are plenty, it just seems that in general self-made people are more generous. With the exception of those terrified to return to the life they knew before.  There's never enough for them to feel secure.  Or all this could be highly anecdotal on my part.

[Benton]

(07-09-2018, 02:08 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I didn't know salaried employees got overtime, but I think that may depend on the amount they make.  That being said, nothing worse than a cheap rich person.  I know quite a few wealthy people (not near that level) and they are all self-made, and quite generous.  I think the self-made part has a quite a bit to do with it.

I think you're right.

I'm not rich, but we're middle class. My parents made themselves middle class. I remember being a kid and being dirt poor, eating spaghetti for the fifth consecutive night just because its cheap, wearing my older brother's shoes to school, etc. So I took those memories with me when I started working and when I had to start interacting with other people. I think it made me more respectful. I also realized that's probably the difference (and where I screwed up) with my own kids, like when my teenage son told me good wifi was a civil right.