Military Subcontractor Pays $108,002 in Back Wages After Prevailing Wage Violations Found in Nevada Projects by U.S. Department of Labor

LAS VEGAS, NV – After an investigation by the  U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Vectrus Inc – based in Colorado Springs, Colorado – has paid $108,002 in back wages and fringe benefits to 69 employees. WHD investigators found the construction contractor violated the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA), the Service Contract Act (SCA) and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) during work performed under a U.S. Department of Defense contract at the U.S Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range, Creech Air Force Base, and Tonopath Range Airfield in Nevada.

The investigation found the employer failed to pay required prevailing wages to electricians, plumbers, painters, carpenters and laborers performing work on the contract. The employer also failed to pay some employees fringe benefits required under the DBRA and SCA. In addition, WHD found the employer failed to pay employees overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, in violation of the CWHSSA.

“Contractors must understand and abide by all of the requirements associated with performing work on federally funded construction projects,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Higinio Ramos, in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Our enforcement of prevailing wage laws levels the playing field for all contractors and protects the wages of workers. We encourage all employers to contact us for guidance to avoid violations like those found in this case and ensure workers receive all the wages they have earned.”

The DBRA requires contractors and subcontractors performing work on federal and certain federally funded projects to pay workers prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits as determined by the U.S. Secretary of Labor and as included in their contracts.

For more information about the FLSA, DBRA, CWHSSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers that discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd.

WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation’s workforce. WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

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