There are ‘unscrupulous companies’ in CT that use a tactic to make money. A push is on to end it.
State Comptroller Sean Scanlon is backing legislation that
would cut off companies that commit wage
theft from contracting with the state.
The comptroller is putting his support behind Senate
Bill 268, which contains several measures to root out wage theft — that
is, when
an employer does not pay an employee wages they’ve earned. Wage theft
includes instances when an employee is paid for fewer hours than they worked or
not given certain benefits; in other instances, employers steal tips or force
employees to work during off hours.
Under the bill, the comptroller’s office would have the
power to withhold payment from state contractors that are under Department of
Labor investigations for wage violations until the investigation has concluded.
This is the second year in a row the comptroller’s office
has pushed for this legislation. Last year, a similar bill cleared the Senate
but was not taken up by the House.
“The premise of this is really simple: We shouldn’t be
rewarding companies with taxpayer dollars who are not rewarding their employees
and their workers with fair wages,” Scanlon said during an afternoon press
conference.
Lawmakers also expressed determination to pass the bill this
session.
“People should be able to go to work, get paid fair
wages to come home safe and not have to worry about being robbed by an
unscrupulous contract,” Sen. Jorge Cabrera, D-Hamden, vice chair of the Labor
and Public Employees Committee, said during the press conference. “So let’s get
it done.”
For years, state officials have struggled
to get their arms around the issue. Many of the state’s most
vulnerable workers continue to miss out on receiving their full paychecks or
are misclassified as independent contractors by their employers, advocates say.
Over the years, that has cost Connecticut workers millions of dollars.
In 2024, the state Department of Labor reported a backlog of around 1,000 wage theft cases, with some waiting several months before they were examined by the state. The DOL has requested more wage-and-hour investigators to help deal with the backlog, but it has faced difficulty getting legislators to agree to the request, which would require more funding for the agency.
Joined by state lawmakers, union advocates and
representatives of construction and building trade groups, Scanlon and other
speakers described how passing S.B. 268 would be a critical step towards
protecting victims.
“This is about accountability,” said Joelyn Leon, executive
director of the Foundation for Fair Contracting of Connecticut. “When public
dollars are being used to fund the construction project, those dollars should
go to companies that are performing the work, follow the law and treat their
workers with respect and fairness.”
Others said the bill would help bring Connecticut’s wage
theft laws more in line with other states.
“We are so far behind our neighboring states that people are
being disbarred from neighboring states, and then they’re setting up camp in
Connecticut,” said Joe Toner, executive director of the Connecticut Building Trades Council.
The problem of wage theft in the state goes back years.
Previous reporting from the Connecticut Mirror has found that there
were more than 13,000 complaints filed with the state Department of
Labor between 2019 and 2023. Almost $17 million in wages has been returned to
workers after these complaints were investigated.
The issue affects workers in the hospitality, retail and
construction industries, in particular. Wages are more likely to be stolen from
vulnerable workers in the state, including undocumented workers, women of
color, workers with disabilities and those reentering the workforce after
incarceration.
Local advocates noted that involving the comptroller’s
office could be a powerful way to help on the issue.
“Wage theft does exist. It is a part of how unscrupulous
companies make money,” said Kimberly Glassman, the director of compliance and
government affairs for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local
478. “These [legislative] proposals help deter companies from breaking the law
and from hurting working people here in the state of Connecticut.”
At a public hearing before the legislature’s Labor and
Public Employees Committee Tuesday afternoon, the state labor commissioner
offered support for the legislation.
“This is another tool in our toolbox if we are having
difficulty collecting wages for workers,” Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said.
Public testimony on the bill, both written and in-person,
was broadly supportive.
But some contractors took issue with the particulars of the
bill.
In written testimony, Andrew Kao, corporate counsel for The
Middlesex Corporation, a Massachusetts-based construction organization, said
companies could potentially get dinged before an investigation had actually
been resolved.
“Since withholding under SB 268 hinges on the existence of a
stop-work order, not on a final violation finding or adjudicated backwage
amount, the Comptroller’s ability to withhold after 10 business days even if
the stop work order is under timely contest effectively imposes financial
penalties prior to final administrative resolution, i.e. punishment before
adjudication,” Kao wrote.
Two Bridges Under Construction On Interstate 95 in West Haven
Ken Liebeskind
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has
launched a major bridge construction project in West Haven, replacing two
bridges that carry traffic over I-95. The project has been described as
involving "one of the longest and most heavily traveled bridges in the
state."
That description comes from Middlesex Corp., the lead
contractor on the $136.5 million project. Funding includes 90 percent federal
funds and 10 percent state funds.
According to CTDOT, Bridge No. 00161, which crosses over
First Avenue, was originally built in 1956 and reconstructed in 1990. The
bridge will be fully replaced with a new structure designed to increase
vertical and horizontal clearances along First Avenue.
The southbound direction of the new bridge will include
three 12-ft. travel lanes, a 5.5-ft. left shoulder and a 10-ft. right shoulder.
The northbound direction will feature three 12-ft. travel lanes, a 12-ft.
acceleration lane carrying the entrance ramp from Exit 43, a 5.5-ft. left
shoulder and a 10-ft. right shoulder.
Bridge No. 00162, which crosses over the Metro-North
Railroad right-of-way, was built in 1956 and rehabilitated in 1988. This bridge
will be removed and replaced with a wider structure. In the southbound
direction, the new bridge will include three 12-ft. travel lanes, a 12-ft.
operational lane, a 16-ft. left shoulder and a 12-ft. right shoulder. The
northbound direction will include three 12-ft. travel lanes, a 16-ft. left
shoulder and a 12-ft. right shoulder.
Middlesex noted that the I-95 southbound bridge to the
Kimberly Avenue ramp has already been demolished. In addition, the I-95 bridge
over Ella T. Grasso Boulevard was replaced with a single-span bridge measuring
101.7 ft. long and 131.8 ft. wide. The project also included reconstruction of
approximately 4,659 ft. of I-95 over the Amtrak bridge east of the Howard
Avenue structure.
In outlining the project's scope of work, Middlesex listed
the following activities:
• Construction of temporary trestles in the West River to
access pile-supported pier locations, erection of structural steel and
demolition of the existing bridge.
• Construction of a temporary roadway crossing ramp to
maintain vehicular access over a pipeline.
• Temporary highway construction to accommodate traffic
shifts.
• Reconstruction of highway approaches and exit ramps
serving Ella T. Grasso Boulevard and Kimberly Avenue.
• Construction of new West River bridge piers and
superstructure.
• Demolition of the existing West River Bridge.
• Replacement of the I-95 bridge over Ella T. Grasso
Boulevard.
• Installation of drainage improvements.
Matt Maher, senior project manager of Middlesex, said
construction began in spring 2025 and is expected to be completed by spring
2028.
"We completed tree clearing, installed micropile
foundations and performed temporary drainage work, and we are now in the middle
of demolishing Bridge 00161," Maher said. "We're constructing a new
bridge abutment for Bridge 00161, which is being replaced in its entirety.
Bridge 00162 is being widened to span the Metro-North Railroad. We're also
installing MSE (mechanically stabilized earth) walls and excavation sheet
piling to retain soil during excavation."
Construction equipment being used on the West Haven I-95
bridge project includes Cat 308,
321, 335 and 349 excavators; a Cat M322 rubber-tire excavator; Komatsu PC138
and PC238 excavators; two Cat 265D skid steers; two Cat 938M loaders; a Cat
CS54 60-in. single-drum roller; Cat D3 and D5 dozers; and a Link-Belt RTC-8080
II rough-terrain crane. CEG
Wilton to rebuild deteriorating bridges and fix others using state, federal grant money
WILTON — The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved funding
last week for several bridge
projects in town, including the complete replacement of two and
rehabilitation of four others.
While the replacement of two bridges and
renovations to four others is expected to cost a total of nearly $15 million,
the town is only on the hook for about $516,000 as the remainder is being paid
through federal and state grants, Public Works Director Frank Smeriglio said.
The state inspects bridges every two years and provides a
rating system based on their structural integrity.
The bridge on Honey Road over the Norwalk River was found to
have a reduced weight limit due to deterioration, making it a high priority for
the state and enabling the project to be largely covered by more than $6
million in grants.
Wilton taxpayers
will have to pay about $116,000 for masonry work on the bridge, and Aquarion
Water Co. will pay nearly $250,000 to relocate a water main.
The Honey Road bridge spans 46 feet and was originally built
in 1957, and reconstruction is expected to begin this spring, according to the
state Department of Transportation.
Grants totaling more than $6.56 million will cover a
majority of the cost of replacing the bridge on Cannon Road over the Norwalk
River.
Because Cannon Road is a historic area, the cost associated
with its masonry work is included in the grant amount, leaving the town to pay
only $32,800 for decorative lighting, Smeriglio said.
The bridge was also categorized as a high priority following
state inspections that revealed erosion, he said.
It was built in 1956 and reconstruction is also expected to
being this spring, according to the DOT.
Four other bridges — Old Ridgefield Road bridge,
Middlebrook Farm Road culvert, Seeley Road bridge, and Old Mine Road
bridge — are in need of renovations, but not complete rebuilds.
Grants totaling nearly $2.35 million will cover the entirety
of construction, but the town will have to pay more than $367,000 for stone
work and steel-backed timber guiderails.
Masonry on the bridges are intended to be similar to other
bridges in town, leading to the cost of the stonework, Smeriglio said.