Wilmington-Based Electrical Company Cited $100K+

WILMINGTON, MA — A Wilmington-based electrical company was cited more than $100,000 in restitution and penalties for not properly paying employees working to repair streetlights in Worcester, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today. The $100,00

Wilmington Wiring Corporation and owner John Garrett had three civil citations issued against it for failure to pay the prevailing wage, failure to furnish payroll records, and failure to furnish certified payroll records to the AG's Office.

"Prevailing wage laws ensure workers are paid a real, living wage, and level the playing field for companies that play by the rules," said Healey. "Workers, honest employers, and taxpayers lose when companies fail to follow wage and hour laws."

WWC was based in Wilmington until it dissolved in May 2016. The AG’s Office began investigating the company in January of that year after an employee filed a complaint alleging he was not paid the prevailing wage rate for five years of work on a public project repairing streetlights in Worcester, the AG's Office said. An investigation revealed six employees were not paid proper prevailing wage for the public works project; only WWC union employees were. WWC also then ignored the AG's Fair Labor Divison's payroll demands, the AG's Office said.

Massachusetts Prevailing Wage Law states contractors and subcontractors engaged in public construction projects must pay their employees a special minimum wage, based on the occupational classification for the type of work the employees perform. It also states contractors and subcontractors working on public construction projects to submit accurate certified payroll records to the awarding authority on a weekly basis, containing employees’ identities, the job classifications of the work performed, their hourly rates of pay, hours worked and wages paid. These records must be furnished to the AG's Office upon demand.