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A Newton masonry contractor, D’Agostino Associates, Inc., was recently fined during its work on the Avery School project in Dedham had a history of similar violations, according to Massachusetts Attorney General records.
Michael Butler, chairman of Dedham’s School Building Rehabilitation Committee, first became aware of the violations when questioned by a reporter.
“It is unfortunate that the contractor chose to violate the terms of the contract and we are disappointed that they did so,” Butler said on Thursday, Feb. 2.
D’Agostino and its owners, John and Romeo D’Agostino, were fined $30,000 in October of 2011 for prevailing wage violations on four different worksites, including the Avery School, according to a press release from the state’s attorney general’s office.
The company was also fined about $15,000 in June 2008 for prevailing wage violations at work sites in East Fairhaven, Fall River and Franklin, according to an attorney general statement released at that time.
Prevailing wage laws require that certain minimum wage rates set by the state Department of Labor be paid to all employees working on public works construction projects, according to the release from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office.
James Pimental of Bricklayers Union 3 has been compiling data about D’Agostino for years. Pimental shared documents from the attorney general’s office showing prevailing wage violations dating back to 2003 in towns including Dedham, Dennis, Easton, East Fairhaven, Fall River, Franklin, Hanover, Natick, Newton, Norwood, Pembroke and Weston. The violations are listed as “intentional” in the documents.
Over that period of time, D’Agostino has been fined tens of thousands of dollars, according to the documents.
Pimental worked for D’Agostino in the 1990s and said the company was exploitive to their workers.
“They invented the business model for how to cheat in the industry,” Pimental said.
Now a member of Bricklayers Union 3, Pimental does not work for non-union contractors such as D’Agostino.
Charles Raso, head of Bricklayers Union 3 and a resident of Dedham, said D’Agostino turns in appealing low bids on projects and meets those numbers by violating prevailing wage laws.
Contractors are eligible to bid on public projects if they have a certificate of eligibility from the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management, according to Butler.
D’Agostino was and continues to be certified, Butler said.
Dedham’s School Building Rehabilitation Committee does not select contractors; the owner project manager selects an overall contractor, and that contractor selects sub-contractors to do portions of the job, such as masonry.
A Newton masonry contractor, D’Agostino Associates, Inc., was recently fined during its work on the Avery School project in Dedham had a history of similar violations, according to Massachusetts Attorney General records.
Michael Butler, chairman of Dedham’s School Building Rehabilitation Committee, first became aware of the violations when questioned by a reporter.
“It is unfortunate that the contractor chose to violate the terms of the contract and we are disappointed that they did so,” Butler said on Thursday, Feb. 2.
D’Agostino and its owners, John and Romeo D’Agostino, were fined $30,000 in October of 2011 for prevailing wage violations on four different worksites, including the Avery School, according to a press release from the state’s attorney general’s office.
The company was also fined about $15,000 in June 2008 for prevailing wage violations at work sites in East Fairhaven, Fall River and Franklin, according to an attorney general statement released at that time.
Prevailing wage laws require that certain minimum wage rates set by the state Department of Labor be paid to all employees working on public works construction projects, according to the release from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office.
James Pimental of Bricklayers Union 3 has been compiling data about D’Agostino for years. Pimental shared documents from the attorney general’s office showing prevailing wage violations dating back to 2003 in towns including Dedham, Dennis, Easton, East Fairhaven, Fall River, Franklin, Hanover, Natick, Newton, Norwood, Pembroke and Weston. The violations are listed as “intentional” in the documents.
Over that period of time, D’Agostino has been fined tens of thousands of dollars, according to the documents.
Pimental worked for D’Agostino in the 1990s and said the company was exploitive to their workers.
“They invented the business model for how to cheat in the industry,” Pimental said.
Now a member of Bricklayers Union 3, Pimental does not work for non-union contractors such as D’Agostino.
Charles Raso, head of Bricklayers Union 3 and a resident of Dedham, said D’Agostino turns in appealing low bids on projects and meets those numbers by violating prevailing wage laws.
Contractors are eligible to bid on public projects if they have a certificate of eligibility from the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management, according to Butler.
D’Agostino was and continues to be certified, Butler said.
Dedham’s School Building Rehabilitation Committee does not select contractors; the owner project manager selects an overall contractor, and that contractor selects sub-contractors to do portions of the job, such as masonry.
Construction Monitoring Services is the owner project manager for the new Avery School on Pottery Lane. Jim Byrne, a representative of that company, said he was unaware of D’Agostino’s violations. Both he and Butler said they thought the Division of Capital Asset Management was doing a good job of determining contractor eligibility.
Butler said the fact that D’Agostino was fined on the Avery School project showed that state regulators were being vigilant about fining companies that violate the law.
Pimental, however, said he hoped the state agencies would put more pressure on D’Agostino and others who violate wage laws.
Byrne said Consigli Construction, the contractor for the Avery School project, selected D’Agostino as a sub-contractor and his company had no part of that choice.
Knowing about the violations would not have an effect on his choices in the future because his company does not take part in selecting subcontractors, Byrne said.
Representatives from Consigli Construction and from D’Agostino Associates did not return calls for comment by press time on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
Staff writer Dave Eisenstadter can be reached at 781-433-8336 or deisenstadter@wickedlocal.com. Like The Dedham Transcript on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @DedhamTranscrip.
