Milton company fined over labor violations

MANCHESTER, N.H. (WCAX) - A Vermont employer will pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages and back pay to an illegally fired employee who sought unpaid wages.

The U.S. Department of Labor says Bevins Excavating in Milton terminated a worker for asking to be paid in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. That law prohibits employers from discharging an employee who exercises their labor rights. The company was forced to pay the former employee $25,000 in punitive damages and over $3,300 in back pay and other damages.

“The Wage and Hour Division will not tolerate employers retaliating against workers who exercise their federally protected rights to seek their full wages and to report their concerns,” the Department’s Wage and Hour Division district director Steven McKinney said in a statement. “The Fair Labor Standards Act forbids employers from attempting to silence workers who question or report their pay practices.”

During the investigation, officials say it was also discovered that Bevins failed to pay 17 employees proper overtime for work-related travel. Officials say they recovered $17,000 in wages for those employees.

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