State attorneys general from across the country are calling for more transparency in payroll disclosures from contractors working on public projects. The group, led by Pennsylvania's Attorney General, **Michelle Henry**, is urging federal regulators to require contractors to provide more detailed payroll information.
The current system, the attorneys general argue, can be manipulated to hide fraud and wage theft. They believe that more comprehensive information about pay, deductions, and benefits should be required. This would make it harder for employers to break fair labor laws without being detected.
"Requiring employers to report more about their workers and their compensation will help Pennsylvania laborers and their families by ensuring they get the pay and benefits they deserve," Attorney General Henry said. "I commend the partner states who stand with me in this endeavor to make it harder for deceitful employers to skirt the law and line their pockets by taking from workers."
The attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, and Rhode Island joined Henry in the effort.
The letter to the U.S. Department of Labor, sent on March 29, states that the current reporting system allows for "complex schemes" to misappropriate fringe benefit funds or take unlawful deductions to reduce workers' pay. In one Pennsylvania case, an employer forced electricians and plumbers to record a portion of their hours as laborers, stealing $64,000 through the scheme.
The attorneys general believe that more detailed forms would enable state enforcers and investigative agencies to better identify violations of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, which are in place to protect workers from unfair labor practices like wage theft and fraud.
The states are asking the Department of Labor to require contractors to provide more specific payroll information to ensure fair treatment of laborers on public projects.