Construction Materials

Department of Labor obtains judgment ordering Arizona contractor to pay $1.7M after defrauding drywall workers of wages owed PHOENIX – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a judgment in federal court ordering a drywall contractor in Arizona to pay more than $1.7 million in back wages and damages to 246 workers.The action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division finding Bean Drywall Inc., a residential drywall contractor, paid the affected workers either straight-time rates or piece rates for all hours worked but failed to pay employees overtime rates required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.“Bean Drywall used fraudulent practices to disguise the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages earned by hundreds of employees,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Eric Murray in Phoenix. “This employer’s willful and deceitful acts were designed to cover-up their inexcusable behavior.”I...

US Department of Labor kicks off 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the start of National Apprenticeship Week, an annual event that showcases the ways Registered Apprenticeship improves career pathways and expands U.S. workers’ access to good-paying jobs across industries. In its 10th year, National Apprenticeship Week will include over 1,300 apprenticeship events, across all 50 states and U.S. territories, and over 800 proclamations reflecting the theme, “Celebrating 10 Years of Engagement, Expansion and Innovation.” These events and proclamations will focus on Registered Apprenticeship’s ability to bring together key national, regional, state and local stakeholders across the country to meet critical workforce needs and give job seekers on-ramps to attractive career pathways in high-growth, high-demand industry sectors such as infrastructure, cybersecurity, healthcare, construction and education. Throughou...

Historic foundry faces nearly $1M in penalties after Department of Labor finds dozens of violations endangering workers in Syracuse NEW YORK ­­– Federal inspectors have found a Syracuse iron foundry, operating for more than 150 years, continued its pattern of violating federal regulations. The foundry has been cited for more than two dozen willful, repeat, serious and other violations.Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Frazer & Jones LLC in October 2024 for exposing employees to the risks of fire and explosion, thermal and chemical burns, falls, and other hazards.In 2023, OSHA cited Frazer & Jones, operator of one of the nation’s largest ductile and malleable iron foundries, for two serious violations. In 2021, the company reached a settlement agreement with the department and agreed to correct 60 violations and pay $276,189 in penalties identified in a 2019 inspection.“Frazer & Jones’ troubling history of...

US Department of Labor sues National Maintenance Solutions, operator who denied workers wages, attempted to deport employees who complained ALBANY, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit to recover back wages, liquidated damages, punitive damages and injunctive relief from a Tonawanda construction contractor that allegedly underpaid employees and tried to have employees who complained deported by calling federal immigration authorities.The action follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that found National Maintenance Solutions LLC and its president and founder, Thomas W. Pellette, did not pay minimum wage and overtime to employees working at hotels in Amherst, Buffalo and Hamburg, New York and in Erie, Pennsylvania. Specifically, the division found that they paid straight-time rates for overtime hours worked and, at times, paid partial wages sporadically or did not pay workers any wages for hours worked, in violation of the Fair...

Court enters consent order requiring New Hampshire landscaper to pay employees $310K in wages, liquidated damages MANCHESTER, NH – The U.S. Department of Labor, following an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division and the filing of a consent order in federal court by the department’s Office of the Solicitor, has recovered a total of $310,193 in back wages and liquidated damages from a Bedford landscaper and contractor who underpaid 60 employees. The division found that Ulster Property Services LLC and owner Kieran Rice violated the overtime, minimum wage, child labor and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act by doing the following:Paying 59 workers, whose duties included landscaping, snow removal and construction work, straight time wages for all hours worked, instead of paying them the required overtime rate for hours over 40 in a workweek.Failing to pay one employee for all hours worked, resulting in the employee receiving les...

Crystal Lake contractor faces $287K in fines after exposing framing workers in Elburn to potentially deadly fall risks 3 times in less than a month CRYSTAL LAKE, IL – Federal inspectors have cited 595 Construction LLC - a Crystal Lake contractor with a history of exposing employees to fall hazards - for eight safety violations after finding employees framing a residential structure without required protections three times at three residential worksites in the same neighborhood in May 2024. Falls from elevation are the leading cause of fatal and serious injuries in the construction industry, and among the safety violations most cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA inspectors first observed 595 Construction employees at work without legally required equipment on a residential structure in an Elburn neighborhood. On May 10, they witnessed similar violations at 1501 Collins Drive and across the street at 264 Da...

Department of Labor encouraged by decline in worker death investigations WASHINGTON – Fewer workers are dying from hazards where the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has focused its enforcement resources. Preliminary agency data show a decrease in fatalities the agency is mandated to investigate, including significant reductions in fatal injuries from trench collapses and falls, two of the leading causes of death among construction industry workers.“These numbers are promising evidence that stronger enforcement and collaboration with labor and management, driven by the Biden-Harris administration’s worker-centered approach, is saving lives,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker. “Most striking is the improvement in areas we have focused on with employers and unions. Our state program partners have also seen improvements.”In fiscal year 2024, federal OSHA investigated 826 worker deaths, an 11 percent reductio...

US Department of Labor recovers $877K in wages, benefits for 36 employees underpaid by contractors on federally funded projects in New York City NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor recovered a total of $877,834 in back wages and fringe benefits from three Long Island contractors for 36 employees who were underpaid for their work on two New York projects funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development conducted initial investigations of Discover Electric Inc., EMG Industrial Chimney Inc. and QNCC Electrical Contracting Corp., finding each violated the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The three subcontractors subsequently appealed the city’s findings.After HUD concurred with the original findings, the contractors still refused to pay and HUD referred the findings to the department’s Wage and Hour Division. The division’s independent investigations confir...