The Connecticut Department of Labor has issued four stop work orders in Bridgeport after determining that contractors working at the Main Street Lofts construction site were in violation of state wage laws.
According to state Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby, the federal Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) requested assistance from the agency”™s Wage and Workplace Standards Division unit after receiving calls regarding alleged safety and wage violations at the project at 1188 Main St.
Labor Department staff said they determined that four companies were not in compliance, with violations including lack of workers”™ compensation and the payment of employees in cash without maintaining required payroll records.
Issued stop work orders were:
- Jorge Drywall, 239 Harral Ave., Bridgeport, for misrepresenting employees as independent contractors, materially or understating payroll, and failure to obtain workers”™ compensation coverage.
- KCT General Contractors, 91 McVeigh Ave., Staten Island, for having no Connecticut workers”™ compensation and no Connecticut registration.
- RCN Home Improvement, 5 Woodside Ave., Danbury, for misrepresenting employees as independent contractors, materially or understating payroll, and failure to obtain workers”™ compensation.
- Wood Pro & Development, 40 Armeridge Drive, Bridgeport, for misrepresenting employees as independent contractors, materially or understating payroll, and failure to obtain coverage that meets the requirements of the state”™s Workers”™ Compensation Act.
“While we want to promote a strong economy and keep employers and their employees on the job, our first obligation is to ensure that workers have the proper protections should they get injured while on the job,” Westby said. “Only by creating a level playing field can we ensure that those employers that are doing the right thing can remain competitive.
“Ultimately, state taxpayers are burdened with the cost of protecting these employees, which creates a financial loss for Connecticut”™s residents and those employers that do play by the rules,” Westby said.
When a stop work order is issued, the company cannot resume work until it provides proof that all deficiencies have been corrected. Under state law companies found to be in violation are fined $300 per worker per day of those violations.
In 2018, the agency issued 118 Stop Work orders to companies that lacked proper worker coverage, misclassified workers as independent contractors or failed to keep required payroll records.
