Construction contractors agree to pay $1.28 million in back wages and liquidated damages after the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) found that 26 workers were denied overtime and other wages for work performed on various construction projects, including the Viking Lakes project in Eagan, Minnesota. This recovery to the workers is the result of an investigation DLI initiated against Property Maintenance & Construction LLC and Property Maintenance and Construction Inc. (PMC), and against Advantage Construction Inc., that concluded with consent orders [12]. It is the largest recovery in a wage and hour violation investigation by DLI. 

DLI’s investigation of PMC and Advantage uncovered widespread wage and hour violations on 19 separate construction projects across the Twin Cities metropolitan area during its investigative audit period of March 4, 2019, through June 5, 2022. Advantage — the first-tier subcontractor that hired PMC — agreed to pay back wages, while PMC agreed to pay liquidated damages. The consent orders resolve a contested case DLI filed against PMC and Advantage at the Court of Administrative Hearings on Dec. 19, 2023.  

“These cases are complex, but we were committed to recovering every dime owed to these impacted workers,” said DLI Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach. “As a result of these consent orders, 26 workers will receive back wages that are years overdue – most workers were shorted tens of thousands of dollars. These efforts not only support workers who are victims of wage theft, they help to ensure a level playing field for law-abiding employers in the construction industry.” 

Minnesota has robust laws to protect workers from wage theft and to make them whole when employers commit wage theft, including the Minnesota Wage Theft Prevention Act [13]. To address wage theft in the construction industry, the Minnesota Legislature passed the Construction Worker Wage Protection Act [14] to hold contractors liable for unpaid wages and benefits owed to construction workers by their subcontractors. The law took effect Aug. 1, 2023, so it did not apply in this case, but now provides an additional avenue of relief for workers.  

Workers and employers can learn more about their rights and responsibilities at dli.mn.gov/laborlaw [15]. To ask questions or report a potential violation, contact DLI’s Labor Standards Division at 651-284-5075 or dli.laborstandards@state.mn.us [16].