Press Release  AG's Office Announces $396,000 In Citations Against Sub-Contractor For Amazon Warehouse In North Andover

NORTH ANDOVER — The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced today $396,000 in citations against B&B Conveyors LLC for failure to make timely payments, failure to pay overtime, and failure to furnish true and accurate payroll records to the AGO. The citations include restitution for workers and civil penalties.

B&B Conveyors is a Florida-based corporation that was sub-contracted by Honeywell Intelligrated Systems to install conveyor belts in a newly built Amazon warehouse in North Andover. B&B employees were brought to Massachusetts from Florida and other states for the job. As part of the employment relocation, employees were promised an allowance known as a “per diem” to cover the cost of housing.

The matter was referred to the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division by Laborers’ Union Local 175, which does not represent the workers but covers North Andover and the surrounding area. Local 175 reported that workers were going weeks without being paid. In some cases, workers alleged their “per diems” were missing from their pay, and in other cases, workers said they were only being paid their “per diems” and not their wages for hours worked. Upon investigation, it was found that as many as 76 B&B workers were routinely denied paychecks. To date, these employees have still not received all of their earned wages, including overtime wages despite the AGO’s ongoing efforts to help employees receive the wages they are owed. 

“Amazon is one of the highest-grossing companies in the world and has been given tax incentives to spur development and create jobs for workers in the Merrimack Valley,” said Attorney General Campbell. “Sadly, the workers that help build their warehouse remain unpaid. I am grateful to Laborers’ Local 175 for their support of these workers, and we will collectively continue to push for these workers to get paid the wages they are entitled to.”

“Amazon brought in out-of-state contractors to build their facility so they can skirt the strong worker protection laws we have in Massachusetts and as a result, their workers ended up being the victims of wage theft. Amazon is ultimately responsible for all their contractors,” said Mike Gagliardi, Business Manager of Laborers’ Local 175. “I want to thank Attorney General Campbell for holding corporations accountable to the laws in Massachusetts and for always standing up for my members and workers all across the Commonwealth.”

The lead contractor on the Amazon project is Whiting Turner, which sub-contracted North Carolina-based Honeywell Intelligrated, which in turn sub-contracted B&B Conveyors. The developer on the site is Hillwood, a multinational real estate development company based in Dallas, Texas

Under Massachusetts’ wage and hour laws, workers are entitled to payment of their wages in full and in a timely manner, which is six days after the pay period ends. Workers who work more than 40 hours a week, are required to receive overtime of 1.5 times the regular rate of pay for each hour over 40 hours.

Workers who believe that their rights have been violated in the workplace are encouraged to file a complaint online at www.mass.gov/ago/fld. For more information about the state’s wage and hour laws, workers may call the AG’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or go to www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for materials in multiple languages.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Tallulah Knopp, Supervising Investigator Yolanda O’Shea and Investigator Sheilyn Gonzalez. 

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