Workers at a local Chicago construction firm have dug up a victory against unlawful pay practices. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a hefty $76,101.16 settlement with Castle Concrete Construction, Inc. for making unauthorized wage deductions and failing to compensate a worker for his time on the road.
"Any company doing business in our state must follow laws that require workers to be compensated for the hours they work without unauthorized pay deductions," stated Raoul. The settlement requires Castle to pay back all the dough wrongly taken from their workers’ paychecks plus damages, and fork over the cash for the hours one of their drivers spent transporting co-workers to job sites. The Attorney General’s office dug into Castle's practices and reached an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with the company.
The probe by the Attorney General's office shed light on Castle's shady payroll practices which began back in 2021. Besides picking the pockets of employees through unapproved deductions, Castle also gave a cold shoulder to one of its drivers by not paying for the hours he used to ferry other employees in the company truck.
The legal squabble was put to rest thanks to Assistant Attorney General Jack Cramer and Bureau Chief Alvar Ayala, both from Raoul's Workplace Rights Bureau. The bureau is known for championing Illinois workers' rights, placing a microscope on wage law violations, and putting the kibosh on dodgy employment practices. This agreement also pushes Castle to stay in line, forcing them to compensate workers properly moving forward.
With a nod to the plight of the state's most vulnerable and immigrant populations, the Attorney General took to bat for fair employment and has encouraged any worker with gripes about their employer to reach out. Complaints about unfair labor practices can be reported to the Workplace Rights Hotline at 1-844-740-5076 or via the Attorney General’s website.
