NYC Contractor Gets 5-Year Ban After Stiffing Workers: Comptroller

NEW YORK CITY — A construction company is banned from bidding on New York City public contracts after officials said its management stiffed workers out of pay.

The five-year ban for Bronx-based Montis Construction is detailed in a settlement recently reached with city Comptroller Brad Lander after his labor lawyers found the company's management falsified payroll records.

Montis' primary contractor BLH Construction must shell out nearly $70,000 in unpaid wages, interest and a penalty, according to the settlement.

"Our city's construction workers work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep New York's gears turning, yet this case once again shows there are businesses who try to exploit and under-pay their employees," Lander said in a statement.

The settlement stems from a carpentry project at Zerega Bus Depot Central Maintenance facility in The Bronx during 2018, the settlement states.

BLH hired Montis as a subcontractor after it received an MTA contract, the document states.

But Montis only gave its workers $15 an hour, all while claiming it was paying them $25.38 an hour, officials said.

Comptroller's investigators found Montis' management falsified certified payroll reports to cover up their underpayment.

"The Comptroller finds that the failure of Montis Construction to pay prevailing wages and supplements was a willful violation for purposes of New York State Labor Law," the settlement states.