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:
March 4, 2008 Harry Pierre
(617) 727-2543
OWNER OF EAST BOSTON CONSTRUCTION COMPANY ARRAIGNED FOR VIOLATING THE STATE’S PREVAILING WAGE AND OVERTIME LAWS
BOSTON – Today, the owner of an East Boston construction company was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court for allegedly violating the state’s Prevailing Wage, Overtime and Records Keeping Laws. George V. Wattendorf, 52, of Swampscott, the owner of G.V.W. Inc., was arraigned on charges of Failure to Pay Prevailing Wage (six counts), Failure to Pay Overtime (three counts), and Failure to Submit True and Accurate Certified Payroll Records (six counts). Wattendorf’s appearance in court was waived and he was released on personal recognizance. The corporation will be arraigned on the above charges and additional charges of Perjury (2 counts) at a later date.
The Attorney General’s Office began an investigation in February of 2007 after a former employee filed a nonpayment of wage complaint with the Fair Labor Division. GVW and Wattendorf are each accused of failing to pay six of their employees the prevailing wage for work they performed at different public construction job sites in Amesbury, Andover, Haverhill, Lunenburg, Lynn, and North Reading. Several of the employees performed electrical work at the job sites, including schools, but were either misclassified as apprentices or laborers or omitted entirely from the certified payroll records. GVW and Wattendorf were required to submit certified payroll records to the awarding authority. Consequently, they were both additionally charged with failure to submit true and accurate records for their failure to properly classify and pay the employees. Three employees were allegedly not paid overtime. GVW was also indicted on two counts of perjury for misrepresenting its eligibility status on its annual recertification application to the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM).
The Prevailing Wage Laws apply to all construction work performed on public works projects in Massachusetts. The Prevailing Wage Laws allow all contractors bidding on public works projects to enjoy a “level playing field” by standardizing the rate of pay the workers will earn. A company’s failure to pay its employees the prevailing wage for work performed at a public construction site can result in both civil and criminal penalties against the company and its owner.
A Suffolk Grand Jury indicted Wattendorf and his company on February 14, 2008. Today, Wattendorf was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court and released on personal recognizance. He is next scheduled to appear in court on May 6, 2008, for a pre-trial conference. G.V.W. Inc. is also scheduled to be arraigned on that date.
The Attorney General’s Office strongly encourages employees who believe that they are owed wages to call the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Miranda Jones, and was investigated by Deputy Chief of Inspectors Greg Reutlinger and Inspector James Kelley, all of Attorney General Coakley’s Fair Labor Division.
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