Construction Company Cited over $800,000 for Violating State Wage and Hour Laws
November 05, 2018
A Massachusetts construction company has been cited $837,341 in restitution and penalties for violating state wage and hour laws and making unlawful deductions from employees’ paychecks. The Attorney General (AG) issued two civil citations to Force Corporation and its managers Juliano Fernandes, a repeat wage act violator; Anderson Dos Santos; and Claudio Cicero Da Silva. During the investigation, the AG’s Office issued multiple payroll demands to Force that uncovered an extensive practice whereby managers regularly took illegal deductions from employees’ weekly wages for tools, safety equipment, discipline, advances, and other purposes. The investigation also revealed that Force unlawfully required employees to purchase their construction tools through a company owned by Fernandes. The company’s tool purchase agreements were poorly drafted, misleading, and available only in English, which Fernandes knew many of the employees would be unable to understand.
