Velasco Enterprises, Inc., Partner’s Hauling Inc. Agree to Pay Back Wages to Illinois Workers
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced an agreement with two trucking companies and their owner to pay $335,000 to resolve claims that the companies failed to pay their drivers for all the time spent driving in between worksites, including on public works projects.
“Any company doing business in the state of Illinois must follow laws that require employees to be fairly paid for the time they work,” Raoul said. “I am committed to enforcing laws that protect Illinois workers and support law-abiding businesses.”
Raoul executed an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance resolving an investigation by the Attorney General’s office into Velasco Enterprises Inc., Partner’s Hauling Inc. (the Velasco entities) and owner Juan Velasco. The affected employees are truck drivers who haul road construction materials to and from construction sites, including sites on state highways and municipal streets, for the Velasco entities. The companies allegedly failed to compensate workers for all the time they spent driving, and workers were not paid for all the time they spent working more than 40 hours in a week at 1.5 times their regular rate of pay as required by the Illinois Minimum Wage Law. When the drivers made deliveries to public projects, they were not always paid the prevailing wage rate for their work.
The companies will make settlement payments directly to eligible current and former employees. In addition to the monetary settlement, Velasco agreed to follow heightened record keeping requirements designed to prevent violations of Illinois wage laws and to ensure that the companies pay prevailing wages when they assign workers to public works projects.
Bureau Chief Alvar Ayala and Assistant Attorney General Jack Cramer handled the case for Raoul’s Workplace Rights Bureau.
Attorney General Raoul’s Workplace Rights Bureau protects and advances the employment rights of all Illinois residents, particularly the state’s most vulnerable residents and immigrant populations. The bureau investigates and litigates cases involving serious or persistent wage law violations or other significant employment practices, and monitors and proposes legislation concerning labor and employment issues.
Attorney General Raoul encourages workers who wish to file a complaint about an employer’s practices to call the Workplace Rights Hotline at 1-844-740-5076 or visit the Attorney General’s website.
