Jan. 19, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Office of Attorney General Maura Healey
The Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division
BOSTON — A Wareham Company and its owners have been cited more than $1.2 million in restitution and penalties over allegations that they did not pay prevailing wages to employees and failed to furnish accurate payroll records, Attorney General Maura Healey announced.
Rochester Bituminous Products, Inc., its President, Thomas Russo, Manager, Albert Todesca, and Treasurer, Michael P. Todesca, were issued 25 citations by the AG’s Office for failing to pay prevailing wages to employees on various public projects including projects for the City of Boston, Town of Mattapoisett, and the Boston Water & Sewer Commission, and failure to furnish true and accurate payroll records to the AG’s Office, and failure to submit true and accurate certified payroll records to an awarding authority on a weekly basis for work performed to the above mentioned locations as well as Plymouth, Abington, Canton, Weymouth, Bridgewater, and Sharon. Through the citations, the AG’s Office is seeking penalties from Rochester Bituminous for its violations of state labor laws, and restitution for 22 employees it allegedly harmed.
“Companies have an obligation to pay their workers the wages they’ve earned,” said AG Healey. “We are issuing these citations to secure relief for workers who were cheated by this company’s illegal practices.”
In 2019, the AG’s Fair Labor Division began investigating whether Rochester Bituminous was paying its workers the proper prevailing wage for paving work done for the City of Boston. The division also received several complaints from past and present workers of the company, alleging that they had not been paid prevailing wages for work performed.