BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has announced VHU Express Inc. and its owner Lisa Bythewood have been cited more than $80,000 in restitution and penalties for allegedly violating the state’s wage and hour laws.
The Florida-based delivery company was hired by Amazon Logistics Inc. (Amazon) to provide delivery services in Massachusetts. According to charges, VHU Express failed to pay employees in a timely manner. State law requires employees to be paid within six days after the end of the pay period during which they earned their wages and, for a total of 52 employees delivering Amazon packages, this allegedly did not happen. Some employees allegedly were unpaid for several weeks of their employment.
“Companies are required by state law to pay the wages they owe their employees in a timely manner,” Healey said. “We will continue to advocate on behalf of Massachusetts workers to make sure they know their rights and are not exploited by unfair employment practices.”
Amazon agreed to pay the restitution and penalties on behalf of VHU Express.
Deputy division chief Lauren Goldman, deputy chief of investigations Greg Reutlinger and investigator Jen Pak, all of the attorney general's Fair Labor Division, handled the case.