Felony charges filed against electrical contractor for underpaying workers

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/articles/felony-charges-filed-against-electrical-contractor-underpaying-workers




Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, center, announced the filing of felony charges against partners in an electrical contracting company for violating prevailing wage laws. From left, Pete Lindahl, IBEW Local 292 business manager; Freeman; Dan McConnell, Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council business manager. Photo by Steve Share


By Steve Share, Minneapolis Labor Review
September 30, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS

Two partners in an electrical contracting firm face felony charges for violating Minnesota’s prevailing wage laws by underpaying their workers.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Monday he was filing felony charges against Thomas Robert Clifton, Lake Elmo, and Earl Keith Standhafer, Burnsville, partners in C&S Electric. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and/or a $100,000 fine.

“This company… deliberately cheated their workers… and systematically took a quarter million dollars from their pockets,” Freeman said, speaking to the media and representatives of Minneapolis building trades unions at the United Labor Centre. “I say cheating because… this is taking money away from workers who earned it,” Freeman said.

C&S had won a subcontract from Donlar Construction Company to perform electrical work for Normandale Community College’s Kopp Student Center project.

FULL story at link.