Third Generation Electric in Tulsa, Okla., pays nearly $27,000 in back wages to 19 employees following US Labor Department investigation

Company violated Davis-Bacon and Related Acts

TULSA, Okla. — Third Generation Electric Inc. has paid $26,770 in back wages to 19 current and former electricians and equipment operators following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division personnel that found violations of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The company failed to pay employees the prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits required by DBRA for work on federally-funded construction contracts.

"Employers enter into federal contracts knowing that they are required to pay prevailing wages and benefits to workers in accordance with federal guidelines for the localities in which they live" said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Wage and Hour Division in the Southwest. "Enforcement of the prevailing wage laws levels the playing field for all contractors. Our investigation of this firm demonstrates the department's commitment to enforcing these laws to protect both employers and employees. We will continue to use all of the enforcement tools at our disposal to ensure that taxpayer dollars used to fund such contracts are properly spent."

The investigation by the Wage and Hour Division's Tulsa District Office personnel determined that Third Generation Electric failed to pay employees the required wages and fringe benefits applicable to the classifications of work they performed while working as a subcontractor on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded contract. The contract was to construct a new water treatment plant in Tahlequah and a demilitarization processing center at the U.S. Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester.

The company agreed to future compliance with the DBRA. Back wages have been paid in full.

The DBRA requires all contractors and subcontractors performing work on federal and certain federally-funded projects to pay their laborers and mechanics the proper prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits as determined by the secretary of labor. Generally, the employer is required to pay the health and welfare benefits for the first 40 hours worked by the employees in a workweek.

For more information about the DBRA and other federal wage laws, call the Wage and Hour Division's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or the division's Oklahoma City office at 405-231-4158. Information is also available at http://www.dol.gov/whd/.