The case did move forward in Massachusetts, but since it’s also a° misdemeanor
in the° Bay
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State, the defendant walked
away with three years’ probation.
Search Site it took Brissette a decade to get his money.
Meanwhile,
“We need to pass laws to change the laws that are in the books right now because they’re not
working,” he said. “They’re not going to punish employers for the things they’re doing wrong.”
Union leaders in Rhode Island agree, which is why they’re pushing for the state to pass a bill
that would stiffen penalties for wage theft and the misclassification of employees as
independent contractors.
As the NBC 10 I-Team previously reported, the legislation would classify cases of wage theft
involving $1,500 or more as a felony, and punishable by up to three years in prison.
It would also allow prosecutors to obtain witness testimony, documentary evidence and bring
cases in front of a grand jury.
“These types of things happen day in and day out across the state, all construction sites
everywhere,” International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 11 Business
Representative Justin Kelley said.
Historically, he said construction workers are the most likely to be affected by wage theft and
misclassification.
“It happens quite a bit. We work very closely with the Central Falls Latino Worker Center, and
they tend to field complaints I would say on a monthly, if not a weekly basis of workers facing
wage theft," Kelley said.
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gouging
Unions are also ague it’s a pro-business measure that would level the playing field for
contractors and companies who are following the law.
Rhode Island employers misclassified an estimated 19,359 workers in 2019 in Rhode Island,
denying them the right to overtime and health insurance.