WESTFIELD, NJ — Despite a “stop work” order being issued for a subcontractor working on the Roosevelt Intermediate School facade renovations, Westfield Superintendent Raymond Gonzalez says work on the project has not stopped.
Investigators from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) issued a stop-work order on July 20 to Gravity Construction Corp., Jamaica, N.Y., a subcontractor who put up scaffolding for the facade renovations at Roosevelt Intermediate School.
“NJDOL’s Division Wage and Hour and Contract Compliance received a statement via the Laborers Union signed by three workers indicating they were being paid less than the New Jersey Prevailing Wage rate as building laborers conducting clean-up at a construction site,” according to the NJDOL.
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Violations included failure to pay prevailing wage; unpaid wages/late payment; failure to register; failing to properly classify employees; improper classification of a construction worker, according to the NJDOL.
The case is awaiting notice of request for a hearing.
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“Work on the Roosevelt facade has not stopped. When the concern regarding wages was brought to our attention after the project began, we investigated and discovered that the concern was directed at the subcontractor who put up the scaffolding,” said Gonzalez.
“Business Administrator Patricia Ramos has been in direct contact with the New Jersey Department of Labor and the contractor on the project was advised of the concern and the need to correct it moving forward. There is no impact on the progress of the project and there are no anticipated school-related delays,” said Gonzalez.
The stop work order in Westfield is among a recently released list by NJDOL of county-by-county data that show the locations of all “stop work” orders issued between July 2019 and July 2023.
Since 2019, the NJDOL has issued 110 stop-work orders which state officials say 87 involved construction jobs, and 44 were public works projects.
Stop-work order investigations have so far led to 11 contractors being debarred from engaging in future public works jobs. Officials said these companies could owe up to $2.7 million in back wages, damages, and penalties.
According to a statement from the governor’s office, the NJDOL’s Division of Wage and Hour and Contract Compliance has the authority to immediately halt work at any public or private worksite – both construction and non-construction – when an investigation finds evidence that an employer may have violated state wage, benefit or tax laws.
“The most common violations leading to stop-work orders are: employers not having workers’ compensation insurance or misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Other examples include employers who fail to pay prevailing wage or overtime; those who have outstanding judgments against them; or those whose workers were not paid, were paid late or were shorted, or were paid in cash off the books,” the state official said.
— With reporting by Nicole Rosenthal, Patch Staff
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