In a complaint filed in Vermont federal court, the U.S. Department of Labor has alleged that a Milton excavation company retaliated against an employee in social media posts after the company’s workers received back wages and damages in 2023, resulting from an investigation into the employer’s pay practices.
In May 2023, the department announced a settlement with Bevins & Son Inc. in which the company agreed to pay 17 employees $17,356 in unpaid overtime wages and liquidated damages to resolve its alleged failure to compensate workers properly for travel and work preparation time at the start and end of the workday. The employers also agreed to pay an additional $3,310 in back pay and liquidated damages, as well as $25,000 in punitive damages, to an employee who was illegally terminated for threatening to complain about unpaid job-related travel time.