UC Berkeley independent contractor investigated for allegedly underpaying workers, refusing overtime

By Grace O’Toole and Brenna Smith

An independent custodial contractor of UC Berkeley is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor on allegations of underpaying workers and refusing to pay them for overtime hours.

Since 2008, Performance First Building Services has been under contract to clean the campus’s athletic facilities. Recently, employees of Performance First alleged that the company has avoided paying workers for overtime hours, as first reported by Los Angeles Times.

According to UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore, the Department of Labor has advised UC Berkeley that the investigation does not involve the University of California. UC Berkeley is also “independently reviewing the matter,” Gilmore said in an email, and “will respond appropriately” to what it finds.

Department of Labor spokesperson Leo Kay confirmed that an open investigation of Performance First for potential wage violations is being conducted. Kay declined to comment further.

California state law requires that employers pay workers 1.5 times their normal wage after working more than eight hours on a single workday or more than 40 hours in one week. If the allegations against Performance First are proven true, the company would be in violation of these overtime laws.

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[Source]: Daily Californian