Builder of Tacoma public housing project ordered to pay nearly $93,000 in back wages
A Maple Valley construction company that worked on a Tacoma public housing project has run afoul of the state Department of Labor & Industries for owing back wages to several of its workers.
L&I cited Sandoval Construction owner Alejandro Sandoval for the unpaid wages and for failure to file payroll records.
The department says 25 workers are owed a little more than $92,500 in back pay and that Sandoval Construction owes $28,500 in fines.
The department says Sandoval faces being barred from bidding on future public projects until the workers are paid.
Sandoval has appealed the citation, according to a release issued Wednesday by L&I. The Office of Administrative Hearings has scheduled the appeal for Aug. 10-14, 2020.
Sandoval Construction was hired to work on the Valhalla apartment project for the City of Tacoma in 2017 for wall and roof framing and other carpentry.
The project on Martin Luther King Jr. Way in the Hilltop neighborhood was announced in 2016 as a redevelopment of the Valhalla Hall site. The project was completed at the end of 2018.
According to L&I: “The state’s prevailing wage law is triggered when construction projects use public funds. The law covers workers on schools, roads, and other types of public projects. L&I enforces the law, which protects workers from substandard earnings and preserves local wage standards. The law also ensures contractors have a level playing field when bidding on public projects.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
