Criminal charges for minimum wage violations are certainly rare. But the November 2015 indictment of electrical contractor Marcus Butler shows that they are possible. Mr. Butler faces jail time and heavy fines for allegedly making false certifications regarding $126,514 in Davis-Bacon Act wages on three HUD multi-family housing projects.

Given the rarity of criminal indictments for wage-and-hour violations, I infer that Mr. Butler’s alleged conduct was much worse than simply miscalculating the prevailing wage or losing track of some payroll records. But there is nothing in the indictment that would reveal the underlying aggravating factors that motivated it. The Government asserts simply that Mr. Butler participated in a “scheme” and that he “knowingly and willfully” overstated wages and benefits on his 61 separate certified payrolls (DOL Form WH-347).

It will probably be some time before we see whether this is case is the result of overreaching conduct by DOL and government attorneys (like another recent DOL case) or the application of the new Justice Department policy set forth in the Yates Memorandum on Individual Accountability for Corporate Wrongdoing. This new policy will almost certainly increase the number of criminal charges arising from ordinary non-compliance and administrative oversight. Husch Blackwell’s client alert on the Yates Memorandum is available here.

Either way, now is the right time for federal contractors to take on the task of reviewing and updating their own HR policies and practices.

As to minimum wage statutes like the Service Contract Act and the Davis-Bacon Act, confirm that employees are properly classified and that they are paid the appropriate prevailing wages and fringe benefits for the hours they work. Confirm that payroll records are sufficiently detailed and that they are kept for at least the minimum required retention period.

Contractors should also update their HR policies and practices to address the numerous new rules and regulations affecting them, including the new FAR clause on human trafficking and the new minimum wage for contractor employees.

 

Further reading—

The 2015 amendments to the FAR rule on human trafficking (Mar. 22, 2015)

New protections for LGBT workers in the federal contracting workforce (Dec. 23, 2014)

Obama’s Executive Order on “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” (Aug. 5, 2014)

Obama’s Executive Order on the new federal contractor minimum wage (Feb. 18, 2014)