FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Garcia, 602-626-8805
TEMPE, Ariz. – Aug. 10, 2017 – The Davis-Bacon compliance division of Torres Consulting and Law Group (TCLG) helped recover more than $55,000 in back wages and benefits owed to workers in Colorado.
The U.S. Department of Labor, in response to a complaint filed by TCLG, found that KR Swerdfeger Construction, Inc., a Colorado based contractor, misclassified workers installing conduit for electrical power at the Mountain Operations Facility Chiller Plant & Power Plant at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado. Six employees were paid as Heavy Laborer Pipelayers when they should have been paid Electrician wages.
KR Swerdfeger Construction, Inc. agreed to pay $55,170.09 in back wages and benefits to the six misclassified employees.
“Workers deserve to be paid for the jobs they are doing. It’s not just the law, it’s the right thing to do,” said Israel Torres, TCLG’s managing partner. “Our Davis-Bacon team looks out for workers and contractors trying to do the right thing by making sure everyone plays by the rules.”
TCLG became involved in the issue in March 2014, advocating on behalf of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers that the Electrician classification and rate should have been used. The DOL agreed.
The Davis-Bacon Act requires contractors on public works projects to pay tradesmen, laborers and mechanics a prevailing wage set by the U.S. Department of Labor. Contractors sometimes try to circumvent the law by misclassifying workers. For example, they may hire lower-cost laborers to do the exact work of the skilled trades.
TCLG aggressively investigates prevailing wage projects on municipal, state and federal construction contracts.
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.