AG Collects More Than $8M For 2010 Wage Violations
BOSTON (AP) -- Employers who broke Massachusetts wage laws have paid more than $8M in fines and restitution to workers and the state.
Attorney General Martha Coakley's Fair Labor Division said it recovered the money after investigations into labor practices in 2010.
Of the $8 million, more than $4.6 million was handed back to workers. The remaining $3.3 million in penalties was returned to the Commonwealth.
Coakley said the investigators handled more than 5,000 cases at a time when many workers were losing their jobs as a result of the lingering effects of the recession.
The biggest settlement was against FedEx Ground over claims the company misclassified its drivers as independent contractors.
The company paid more than $3 million to the state and thousands of dollars to 13 drivers.
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