Torres Consulting & Law Group’s wage compliance division helped recover more than $48,000 in back wages and benefits owed to New York workers.
The New York Department of Labor (NYDOL), in response to a complaint filed by TCLG, found that Mullally Bros. Inc. (“Mullally”), a New York-based contractor, misclassified workers on the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) USA Luge Facility projects. During the course of the investigation, the NYDOL determined that Mullally reported employees as millwrights earning the designated wages and benefits. However, the project scope of work required the classification of plumber/pipefitter and the much higher prevailing wages for all hours earned on the public works project. Mullally agreed to pay $48,741.28 in back wages and benefits.
“Workers deserve to be paid for the skilled work they perform,” said Israel Torres, TCLG’s managing partner. “Our compliance team is committed to making a difference in the lives of working families.”
The New York Labor Law Article 8 requires contractors on public works projects to pay tradesmen, laborers and mechanics a prevailing wage set by the NYDOL. Contractors sometimes try to circumvent the law by reporting employees at a lesser classification and wage rate on public works projects in order to reduce labor costs.
TCLG aggressively monitors prevailing wage projects on municipal, state and federal construction contracts for compliance. The firm 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.