Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether workers who constructed or renovated boutique hotels in Washington, D.C. were denied overtime, prevailing wages, paid leave, or compensation for all hours worked.
What is the issue?
Boutique hotel construction and renovation projects often involve tight deadlines, overnight work, occupied areas, and several layers of specialty subcontractors. Workers may perform demolition, drywall, framing, painting, flooring, tile, millwork, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fire-protection, and finish work.
A worker may be paid a day rate or classified as an independent contractor even though the contractor controls the schedule, sequence, tools, materials, and manner of work. Long nights and weekend work may then be paid at the same flat rate instead of overtime.
Workers may also be required to wait for elevators, security access, occupied rooms to clear, inspections, deliveries, or instructions. Required waiting time may be compensable.
Workers may have experienced:
- Straight-time pay for more than 40 hours.
- Flat day rates for overnight or weekend shifts.
- Unpaid waiting for security, elevators, materials, or room access.
- Being classified as a 1099 contractor.
- Unpaid setup, cleanup, or tool-loading time.
- Deductions for parking, transportation, tools, uniforms, or safety equipment.
- No paid sick and safe leave.
- Missing prevailing wages on qualifying publicly supported work.
- Crew leaders withholding part of the agreed pay.
- Final wages withheld after the project ended.
Signs you may be affected
- You worked on the construction or renovation of a boutique hotel in Washington, D.C. as a laborer or skilled tradesperson.
- You worked for a subcontractor, staffing company, or specialty contractor rather than directly for the project’s general contractor.
- You performed required setup, cleanup, loading, or other work before or after your scheduled shift without being paid.
- You worked more than 40 hours in a week but did not receive proper overtime pay.
- Your paycheck did not include the required contract wage, prevailing wage, or all hours you worked.
- Your employer altered your recorded hours or failed to compensate you for all work performed on the project.
D.C.’s contractor-liability rules may allow workers to seek unpaid wages from companies higher in the project chain.
If you performed construction, renovation, restoration, installation, demolition, cleanup, material-handling, furniture installation, or other site-support work at a D.C. boutique hotel and believe you were underpaid, please contact Migliaccio & Rathod LLP through the form below, by email at [email protected], or by telephone at (202) 470-3520.