Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, DOL NEWS—Roofing and painting contractor on the hook for over $300K in back wages and penalties, (Dec 18, 2025)
Organizations Mentioned:Howard & Sons Inc. | U.S. Department of Labor
By WK Editorial Staff
In other news, the Wage and Hour Division has launched updated tools to help contractors comply with the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has concluded that a San Bernardino, California, roofing and painting contractor violated federal wage laws by denying 62 employees pay for some of their hours worked. Specifically, investigators found Howard & Sons Inc. failed to include pre- and post-shift hours spent by employees collecting and returning needed supplies from stores and storage sheds. It also neglected to include time employees worked beyond the scheduled hours, as well as time worked on Saturdays.
Willful violations. The employer will pay $267,177 in back wages to the employees who were denied overtime pay. Additionally, because of the willful nature of the violations, the division assessed the employer a $53,010 civil penalty.
“It is the employer’s responsibility to know how many hours their employees work for the business and to pay them accordingly for all hours worked,” said Assistant District Director Rafael Valles. “When employees are required to pick up supplies, shop, and set up equipment as part of their preparation for their hands-on work at the job site, employers must understand these duties are FLSA hours worked. As the back wages in this case illustrate, we are committed to ensuring that workers receive all wages due including overtime pay.”
Forms updated. In other news, the Wage and Hour Division has launched updated tools to help contractors comply with the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. These include a fillable online version of Form WH-347 for digital payroll reporting and an annotated version with detailed guidance. The resources aim to improve accuracy, reduce administrative burden, and ensure prevailing wage compliance on federally funded construction projects, alongside other support tools like a compliance toolkit and mobile time-tracking app.
Companies: Howard & Sons Inc.
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