BOSTON — A Fall River insulation company and its owner have agreed to pay more than $130,000 in restitution and penalties for failing to pay workers properly and failing to keep sufficient records, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

According to a settlement agreement, Alternative Weatherization, Inc. and its owner, Timothy Cabral, will pay restitution and penalties to resolve two citations from the AG’s Office for Failure to Make Timely Payment of Wages and Failure to Keep True and Accurate Records.

“All employers are expected to understand and follow Massachusetts wage and hour laws,” said AG Healey. “Through this settlement, 37 workers will be paid the money they are owed. When employers treat workers fairly, businesses that play by the rules can thrive.”

Alternative Weatherization is based in Fall River and installs home insulation, primarily through energy savings programs, throughout Massachusetts. The AG’s Office began an investigation after receiving complaints from three employees who reported that they were not paid properly for time worked in the company’s shop or travel time.

Employees were required to report to the company’s headquarters in the morning to load trucks and obtain job locations. They were subsequently required to travel to job sites then and back to the shop at the end of the day. Cabral did not track the time on any timekeeping records.

The AG’s investigation found that between May 2014 and May 2016, 37 employees were not paid for the full amount of time they spent at the shop or for the time they travelled.

The Massachusetts Minimum Wage Regulations require employers to pay for travel time if employees are required to report to a location other than the work site or to report to a specified location to take transportation.

Alternative Weatherization has since updated its practices to be in compliance with Massachusetts wage and hour laws.

AG Healey’s Fair Labor Division is responsible for enforcing state laws regulating the payment of wages, including prevailing wage, minimum wage and overtime laws.

Workers who believe that their rights have been violated in their workplace can call the office’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465. More information about the state’s wage and hour laws is also available in multiple languages at www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor.

In the last year, the Fair Labor Division has fielded more than 17,000 calls from members of the public and received more than 5,000 wage and hour complaints.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Amy Goyer and Investigator Paul Gordon, both of AG Healey’s Fair Labor Division.

--Attorney General Maura Healey's Office

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