The Connecticut Department of Labor’s Division of Wage and Workplace announced on Wednesday it shut six Westport construction sites and cited19 companies for misclassifying workers as independent contractors.
The agency said with the alleged violators’ intent was to avoid employment obligations such as unemployment taxes, payroll reporting and workers’ compensation.
The division issued stop work orders from July 25 to Aug. 5 at the six Westport sites — halting all construction — and issuing civil penalties of $300 per day for each day a company did not carry workers’ compensation coverage.
Over the past six months, the division says it has issued 103 stop work orders and collected $81,110 in civil penalties for the misclassification of workers.
The worksite at 10 Church Lane was shut down on July 27, including construction companies Pawel Siepka Construction LLC, Osvaldo Deleen, Neri Ortiz, Rene Herrera, ACC LLC, George Lopez, Hector Uillavicencia, Fernando Fiqueroa and Frank Marini Mason Contractors LLC.
The worksite at 19 Post Road East was shut down on July 27, including the company Scott Rochlin General Contracting, LLC.
The worksite at 22 Main St. was shut down on July 27, including companies The Artisan Group LLC, Woodstone Contracting Inc., Luis Puente Tile Marble LLC and P&E Services LLC.
The worksite at 71 Main St. was shut down on July 27, including company H.F. Drywall, LLC.
The worksite at 10 Church Lane was shut down on July 28, including company Luis Villavivencio-Arevalo.
The worksite at 1505 Post Road East was shut down on Aug. 4, including companies ADK Electric and Retail Store Construction.
The worksite at 69 Main St. was shut down on Aug. 4, including company Exceed Contracting.