Press Release  AG Campbell Releases Annual Labor Day Report Spotlighting Actions To Protect Massachusetts Workers

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today released the Attorney General’s Office (AGO)’s annual Labor Day Report, spotlighting the AGO’s dedicated efforts to protect the rights of Massachusetts workers and ensure access to fair pay, benefits, and safe working conditions for all.  

"While decisions by the federal government create new uncertainty for workers and families, my office continues to do what it’s always done: protect working people,” said AG Campbell. “I am proud to release this year’s Labor Day Report, which highlights the efforts of my office's Fair Labor Division to ensure that workers are paid for every hour they work and receive the minimum wage and overtime they have earned.” 

FY2026 By the Numbers 

In Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, the AGO’s Fair Labor Division (FLD) took 1,292 enforcement actions against 1,183 employers for violating various protections, helping more than 16,410 workers and assessing nearly $12.7 million in restitution for unpaid wages and penalties. 

The construction industry faced the highest rate of enforcement actions (20%), followed by restaurants/hotels (19.5%), healthcare (8%), landscaping/snow removal (6.3%), and cleaning/janitorial (5.6%). Failure to Make Timely Payments was the most common type of violation (474 citations). 

Fighting Exploitation in the Construction Industry  

In FY26, FLD assessed more than $2.5 million in restitution and penalties related to investigations in the construction industry, entitling over 1,300 employees to restitution payments. 

One such enforcement action involved a complaint against Master Millwork – a West Wareham company that specializes in the manufacturing and installation of custom cabinets and millwork – alleging that the company was not paying workers properly. FLD’s investigation revealed that the company failed to properly pay overtime and misclassified workers as independent contractors. As a result of the investigation, Master Millwork agreed to pay more than $280,000 in restitution and penalties. 

In addition to enforcement, FLD continues to utilize a dedicated, multilingual investigative team to conduct unannounced compliance visits to active construction sites throughout the Commonwealth with the goal of ensuring a continuous and supportive presence in the field. This field team visited 37 construction sites in FY26, successfully engaging over 160 employers and nearly 400 workers to provide direct guidance on state wage and hour laws. 

Following a visit by FLD’s Construction Field Team to a construction worksite, FLD conducted a full investigation and issued five citations totaling more than $218,000 to Donizetti’s Tile Services, Inc. for failure to pay overtime, failure to furnish pay slips, misclassifying employees as independent contractors, failure to permit employees to earn and use sick time, and failure to keep true and accurate payroll records.   

Combatting Independent Contractor Misclassification 

Addressing worker misclassification remains one of the AGO’s highest enforcement priorities. Misclassification occurs when companies improperly classify workers as independent contractors, as opposed to employees. Misclassification by non-compliant employers strips workers of their rights as employees and denies basic workplace rights, including guaranteed minimum wage, overtime pay, timely compensation, accrued sick leave, employer retaliation protections, and essential benefits. In FY26, FLD took action against nearly 60 employers who misclassified approximately 1,500 workers, totaling more than $2.1 million in restitution and penalties. 

As part of the ongoing efforts to address worker misclassification, FLD reached a settlement with online grocery-delivery company Weee! to resolve allegations that the company violated Massachusetts independent contractor and earned sick time laws. As part of the settlement, Weee! paid more than $865,000 in citations, including restitution for over 160 impacted workers and penalties. 

In another matter, FLD issued citations totaling nearly $420,000 against Beverly-based cleaning/janitorial company Advanced Maintenance Solutions, Inc. regarding allegations that the company failed to pay overtime, failed to comply with the state’s earned sick time law, and misclassified employees as independent contractors.   

Protecting and Empowering Restaurant Workers 

In FY26, FLD issued nearly 400 citations and assessed almost $2.5 million in restitution and penalties involving the restaurant and hospitality sectors. This enforcement effort impacted over 3,400 workers in these industries, particularly workers who rely on customers’ tips to earn at least the minimum wage. 

One such enforcement action involved Carrie Nation and The Dubliner, two restaurants located in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. After receiving a complaint that the businesses failed to remit the total proceeds of service charges to service employees, FLD investigated and ultimately cited the employers for tips violations. As a result of the citations, the employers paid a total of $422,000 in restitution and penalties. 

Community Engagement and Education 

FLD, along with the AGO’s Community Engagement Division, recently marked the 10-year anniversary of the Wage Theft Clinic, which helps connect workers who have wage issues and need free legal advice to community legal aid partners and private attorneys. Throughout the clinic’s run, workers and their advocates have reported $2.4 million in recovered wages, however the actual figure is likely much higher. 

During FY26, the AGO hosted or participated in 98 worker- and employer-focused community engagement events, and performed 141 worksite visits. These efforts showcase the AGO’s commitment to not just enforcement, but to providing resources and education to help protect the rights of workers and ensure employers’ compliance with state laws. 

The AGO’s Fair Labor Division and Relevant Resources 

The AGO’s Fair Labor Division consists of attorneys, investigators, intake and support staff. The Division enforces state laws regulating the payment of wages, including minimum wage, overtime, prevailing wage, child labor, earned sick leave, and labor trafficking. It also protects employees from exploitation and wage theft through strong partnerships and community education. 

The AGO is committed to protecting the rights of all workers, including immigrant workers, who are disproportionately subjected to illegal employment practices, such as wage theft. The AGO encourages workers and employers to review the AGO’s Advisory on the Rights of Immigrant Workers, which affirms that all workers, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to employment protections, including the right to a fair wage, protection from retaliation, classification as an employee, and freedom from sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

In accordance with state and federal law, the AGO works to serve and protect all workers, without regard to immigration status, does not ask about workers’ immigration status, and does not voluntarily provide workers’ personal information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Workers in Massachusetts who believe their workplace rights have been violated are encouraged to file a complaint with the AGO’s Fair Labor Division at mass.gov/ago/fld. For more information about the state’s employment laws, workers may call the AGO’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or visit mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for information available in multiple languages. 

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