United States ex rel. Int'l Bhd. of Elec. Workers Local Union No. 98 v. Farfield Co.

# Plain English Summary: Electrical Workers Union v. Farfield Company **What Happened** The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 98 sued the Farfield Company, an electrical contractor, claiming wage theft. The union alleged the company misclassified workers in a way that violated federal law and defrauded the government on projects it worked on. **What the Court Decided** In May 2019, the court dismissed the case. The judge ruled that the matter couldn't proceed without first having the U.S. Department of Labor investigate and make a determination about whether workers were truly misclassified. Since the Department of Labor had already declined to investigate the issue, the court found it didn't have authority to hear the case at that time. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling highlights an important hurdle for workers seeking justice through the courts: sometimes disputes must first be reviewed by government agencies like the Department of Labor before courts can act. If those agencies decline to investigate, workers may find their legal options limited, even when they believe they've been treated unfairly.