One of Boston University's favorite vendors has been cited for widespread overtime violations, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.  Wilder, whose trucks are frequently seen in Kenmore Square, is an employer of many immigrant workers who rarely come forward to complain about wages and working conditions.  The Fair Labor division of Attorney General Martha Coakley's office has been able to crack open a number of such exploitive situations and get justice for the workers.  The Attorney General's pres release follows: 

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
ONE ASHBURTON PLACE
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02108
(617) 727-2200
(617) 727-4765 TTY
www.mass.gov/ago
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT:
August 15, 2008 Harry Pierre
(617) 727-2543
QUINCY PAINTING COMPANY TO PAY $75,000 IN WAGES AND PENALTIES
FOR FAILING TO PAY OVERTIME TO 67 WORKERS
BOSTON – Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office has reached an agreement with a
Quincy-based painting company and its owner to settle allegations that they failed to pay
workers overtime.. Robert Wilder, 48, of Kingston, NH, and his company, Wilder Painting
Contractors, Inc. (Wilder), have agreed to pay 67 current and former workers $65,000 in
overtime wages they are owed, as well as a $10,000 penalty to the Commonwealth.
In May 2007, the Attorney General’s Office began an investigation into Wilder’s
practices after receiving complaints from two employees alleging that they had not received
overtime pay despite working over 40 hours a week. Investigators discovered that from mid-
April 2006 through June 2008, 67 employees who worked more than 40 hours per week were not
paid time and one-half of their regular hourly rates, as required under Massachusetts law.
Massachusetts law requires that most hourly employees who work more than 40 hours in
a week be paid one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40. All
employers are required to keep accurate records, indicating the hours worked by each employee.
The Attorney General’s Office is responsible for enforcing the minimum wage and
overtime laws in the Commonwealth. Workers who feel that these laws have been violated in
their workplace are encouraged to call the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-
3465.
The matter was settled by Assistant Attorney General Thomas Johnson with assistance
from Inspector Iona Powell-Headley, both of Attorney General Coakley’s Fair Labor Division.
#########