Connecticut workers were compensated more than $6.5 million in unpaid wages for the fiscal year ending June 30, the state Department of Labor”™s Division of Wage and Workplace Standards reported. This is $20,000 more than what was recovered from June 30, 2012, to June 30, 2013.
More than $3 million was returned to 2,776 employees through wage enforcement staff who responded to complaints about unpaid wages. Nearly $2.1 million was returned to 424 employees who were not paid the proper amount for public contracts. About $1.2 million was provided to 1,178 employees who had not received the required minimum wage amount or overtime wages, and close to $203,000 was returned to 376 employees who weren”™t properly compensated for working on service contracts.
The Department of Labor, partnering with the Office of the Chief State”™s Attorney for the past year, recovered more than $525,000 from 70 people who were arrested for collecting unemployment insurance benefits to which they weren”™t entitled. The partnership has recovered more than $10 million total in unauthorized collections, which has been returned to the state”™s fund to pay for unemployment benefits, the state reported.
“Protecting Connecticut”™s workforce is critical to strengthening our economy and creating a vigorous business climate,” said Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman in a statement. “Ensuring workers are paid fairly and expediently, that people aren”™t working while sick, and that minimum wage earners can better support themselves and their families are keys to enhanced economic stability and quality of life.”
