People ex rel. Department of Labor v. Sackville Construction, Inc.

**Construction Workers Win Wage Case Against Contractor** This case involved construction workers who weren't paid the proper wages required by law on a public construction project. Sackville Construction, Inc. was hired for a government-funded construction job, but the company paid workers less than the "prevailing wage" - the minimum hourly rate that must be paid on public projects to ensure fair compensation. The construction company argued they didn't have to pay these higher wages because they claimed they weren't properly notified about the wage requirements. A lower court initially agreed with the company, but workers appealed the decision. The appeals court sided with the workers, ruling that Sackville Construction was required to pay prevailing wages regardless of whether they received proper notice about the requirements. The court sent the case back to the lower court and ordered the company to pay $19,189.39 in unpaid wages to the workers. **What This Means for Workers:** If you work on government-funded construction projects, you have the right to receive prevailing wages even if your employer claims they didn't know about the requirement. Employers can't avoid paying proper wages by saying they weren't informed of their legal obligations.