BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - Allan Vitale, the owner of R&A Drywall, was ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution and penalties for allegedly violating Massachusetts' record keeping and prevailing wage laws, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said on Thursday.
Vitale, a New Hampshire resident, allegedly failed to pay the prevailing wage, underpaying 21 employees who performed carpentry work on two public works projects between May 2013 and September 2014.
Coakley's office also claims Vitale refused to turn over the company's payroll records as part of an investigation into alleged violations at the two projects -- the Quincy College Coddington Hall project and the Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance's Parcel 7 Fit Out Renovation project.
“The prevailing wage law ensures a level playing field for contractors and their workers who build our public schools, libraries, police stations and other public facilities,” Coakley said. “The enforcement of these laws protects workers’ rights and our taxpayer dollars.”
In addition to paying restitution to the employees, Vitale and his company are banned from submitting bids for work on public projects in Massachusetts for one year.