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Construction Workers Recouped Nearly $700K Last Year, Thanks to FFCM
The Foundation for Fair Contracting of Massachusetts helped to recover nearly $700,000 dollars for public construction workers last year, among the organization’s best years to date. FFCM Executive Director Karen Courtney says “For contractors, the message is that if you break the law and either don't pay, underpay or misclassify your employees, it is increasingly likely that you're going to pay a price."
Courtney notes that last year the FFCM received complaints from construction workers regarding underpayment and nonpayment of wages, misclassification, unregistered apprenticeship programs and phony pension plans. Upon receiving such complaints, FFCM monitors typically review the certified weekly payrolls of the specified contractor, looking for any sign of illegality or irregularity. Cases that merit further investigation are then transmitted to the Attorney General’s office, the Division of Apprentice Training, or other applicable state and federal agencies.
The FFCM was founded in 1992 to assist construction workers in collecting back pay and benefits in the event of wage violations. The organization also reviews bids submitted by contractors for public construction jobs. “If we encounter a bid so low that the contractor can’t possibly complete the job without breaking the law,” says Courtney, "it’s a good indication to us that we need to investigate further."
In 2006 alone, the FFCM targeted 338 projects worth an estimated $1.9 billion. In an effort to contact employees and their families regarding their employment on prevailing wage projects, the FFCM sent out nearly 3,000 packets of information including prevailing wage information, a checklist for workers and copies of certified payrolls on which the worker appeared.
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