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State Cracking Down on Lawbreaking Contractors
Workers entitled to triple
damages under new law
Is your employer paying you under the table? Paying you less than the prevailing wage on publicly funded projects? Refusing to pay overtime? Have you been ‘misclassified’ as an independent contractor even though you’re an employee? If you’ve encountered any of these problems, the state of Massachusetts wants to help you recover your money.
The Commonwealth has recently launched a major crackdown on lawbreaking employers, including those who misclassify their workers or engage in other fraudulent business practices. An anti-fraud hotline has been created so that workers who’ve witnessed illegal activity on the job or experienced “off-the-books” scams can phone in anonymous tips. (See related story on page 2).
There is also a new incentive for workers to come forward with such complaints. Employers who pay their workers less than what they’re owed under the law, refuse to pay overtime or fail to pay their workers at all could be hit with triple damages under a new state law. Workers who’ve been underpaid may get back pay, plus interest, in addition to the compensation due to them.
Worker advocates say that they hope the measure sends a message to all employers in the Commonwealth that Massachusetts is serious about the business of wage enforcement. “This law puts in place a major penalty for underpaying or refusing to pay workers,” says Karen Courtney, Executive Director of the Foundation for Fair Contracting of Massachusetts. “We also hope that the crackdown on lawbreaking employers will help create a more level playing field for law-abiding contractors.”
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