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Workers Who Built Housing for Afghan Refugees at NJ Air Base Will Get $16M In Back Pay: Feds

Contractors who built temporary housing for Afghan refugees at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst have been ordered to pay nearly $16 million in back pay to more than 2,800 workers, authorities said.

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The U.S. Department of Labor said the general contractor — Disaster Management Group of Jupiter, Florida — and 61 subcontractors violated federal law. They failed to pay proper salaries and give proper benefits, overtime and sick pay to workers who built housing and coordinated food and medicine for the refugees, the department said.

The project involved contractors from 17 states and Puerto Rico as part of Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome to resettle Afghan refugees. The project began in July 2021 and was completed in February 2022.

“Every worker deserves to be paid the full wages to which they are entitled, and this compliance agreement, which recovers millions in wages for hundreds of workers, should serve as notice to other government contractors that the department will utilize its full power to enforce vigorously federal wage laws,” said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. 

The contractors also were ordered to restore more than 24,700 paid sick hours.

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