Tonopah Test Range contractor told to pay $293K in back wages, benefits
A federal contractor working at the state’s Tonopah Test Range, including the Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, will pay $293,000 in back wages and employee benefits to 69 workers, following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Maryland-based contractor URS Federal Services paid wages below prevailing wages for construction work performed under a U.S. Department of Defense contract. Prevailing wage requirements related to government contracts are enforced by Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, which launched the investigation. The agency said the company violated the Davis-Bacon Act.
URS Federal Services provides management, logistics, information technology and network communication services to the U.S. military.
“Prevailing wage laws provide a safety net of fair wages to workers, their families and communities, and enable local contractors and subcontractors to compete on a level playing field,” Gene Ramos, director of the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division District in Las Vegas, said in a release.
Federal labor investigators also found that URS Federal Services violated the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act when it failed to pay required overtime to workers in the air traffic control tower at the facility.
A spokeswoman for Amentum, the parent group of URS Federal Services, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
“Enforcement of these laws protects the wages of hard-working, middle-class American workers. The Wage and Hour Division will remain vigilant in its work to ensure employees are paid in compliance with these laws,” added Ramos.
Contact Jonathan Ng at jng@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ByJonathanNg on Twitter.
