Allegria employees claim bad checks

Several employees of the Allegria Hotel in Long Beach claim that their paychecks have either bounced or been withheld.

Joe, a part-time employee who asked that his last name not be used, said that about 18 employees have had paychecks bounce in the past month. While he said he has never received a check that bounced, Joe claims that he has had a paycheck held for two days.

“It’s not fair to employees that work there full-time and are not getting paid,” he said, adding that his job at the Allegria provides him with a second income. Joe said he complained to the New York State Department of Labor about the issue of held wages and bounced checks. Jean Genovese, a spokeswoman for the department, said of the Allegria, “We did issue a violation for late payment of wages. We will be going back to do a recheck to make sure they’re in compliance.”

Another part-time worker, who declined to be identified, said that a November paycheck bounced, but he was issued a new one that cleared. He said he heard that employees in all departments, from the front desk to housekeeping, were being issued bad checks. “They bounce one more check, I’m leaving,” he said.

The hotel’s general manager, Mark Lahood, acknowledged in an e-mail to the Herald that the hotel did have problems with its payroll system, but added that the issues have been resolved.

“The Allegria Hotel is up to date on employee compensation,” Lahood said.

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