Koster
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced on Friday that he has reached an agreement with the owner of a construction company who allegedly failed to pay proper wages to two carpenters he hired for a public works project.
Travis Lee Reynolds, the owner of Reynolds Construction, was originally charged with two criminal counts of failing to pay prevailing wage in August. The suit alleged that Reynolds hired the two carpenters to work on the construction of Fire Station #9 in Columbia, Mo.
Koster entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with Reynolds, which allows his office to re-file the criminal charges against Reynolds if he violates any aspect of the prevailing wage law during the next two years.
"Missouri's prevailing wage law has been clear for more than 50 years; prevailing wages must be paid on Missouri's public works and construction projects," Koster said.
"The Attorney General's office will file charges against any contractor who knowingly violates the prevailing wage law and does not pay workers what they are due."
According to Missouri's Prevailing Wage Law, a minimum wage rate must be paid to all workers on public works construction projects, such as bridges, roads and government buildings. The prevailing wage rate differs by county and for different types of work.