FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Garcia, 602-626-8805
TCLG team helps Kansas workers claim back wages
TEMPE, Ariz. – Oct. 26, 2017 – The Davis-Bacon compliance division of Torres Consulting and Law Group (TCLG) helped recover more than $217,000 in back wages and benefits owed to workers in Kansas.
The U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL), in response to a complaint filed by TCLG, found that Reliance Electric, Inc., a Utah based contractor, misclassified workers on the Exchange Place Apartments project in Wichita, Kansas. During the course of the investigation, the U.S. DOL determined that electricians were misclassified as laborers, apprentices did not receive the appropriate journeyman oversight, overtime was paid at the incorrect rates, and employees were not compensated for lodging and board.
Reliance Electric, Inc. agreed to pay $217,272.63 in back wages and benefits to 16 misclassified and underpaid employees.
“Contractors not playing by the rules will eventually get caught,” said Israel Torres, TCLG’s managing partner. “Every worker deserves a fair wage for the job they are doing.”
The Davis-Bacon Act requires contractors on public works projects to pay tradesmen, laborers and mechanics a prevailing wage set by the U.S. DOL. Contractors sometimes try to circumvent the law by misclassifying workers. For example, they may hire lower-cost laborers to do the exact same work of the skilled trades.
TCLG aggressively monitors prevailing wage projects on municipal, state and federal construction contracts for compliance.
TCLG provides a variety of consulting services, including regulatory compliance and public and government relations, to clients across the United States. A specialty is Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage compliance for local unions, contractor associations and building trades’ organizations.