For Immediate Release
Contact Information
Cynthia Santana
Phone: 206-256-5219
Email:cynthia.santana@seattle.gov
Traffic Control Company Settles for More Than $250 Thousand Dollars with the Seattle Office of Labor Standards for Alleged Violations of Three Ordinances
Seattle, WA (February 2, 2022) The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) announces the settlement with Traffic Management, Inc. dba Traffic Management Industries (TMI) for alleged violations of Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST), Minimum Wage, and Wage Theft Ordinances. The total financial remedy of $250,263.05 will be paid to 244 affected workers.
OLS alleged that TMI provided its employees with a lower PSST accrual rate than the rate required for an employer of its size and paid workers less than Seattle’s minimum compensation for work performed in Seattle from October 2017 to June 2019.
Additionally, OLS alleged the company failed to consistently provide its workers with 30-minute, uninterrupted, unpaid meal breaks when they worked more than five hours and 10-minute, paid rest breaks for every 4 hours worked. OLS also alleged the business required workers to report to a location outside Seattle to be transported in company vehicles to Seattle job sites, without paying for compensable travel time.
“TMI agreed to resolve this matter to save city resources and in order for everyone to move on. We take allegations seriously and care about our employees. Although we may not agree with the allegations, we are glad the matter has been resolved,” TMI.
“Violations of workers’ rights under Seattle’s ordinances are not limited to certain industries. TMI is an example of how, if left unreported, workers could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars due to unpaid PSST, minimum wage and wage theft,” said Steven Marchese, OLS Director. “If you have concerns with your rights as a worker – we are here to help. We are also available to help all businesses stay in compliance with Seattle’s labor standards through technical assistance.”
TMI, a traffic control company with more than 1,000 workers worldwide, employs workers in Seattle and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest; the Rocky Mountain, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Great Lakes regions; and throughout California.
For more information on Seattle’s labor laws contact the Office of Labor Standards at http://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards or call 206-256-5297.
- Help for workers and the public: to ask a question, file a complaint, or provide information, call 206-256-5297, email laborstandards@seattle.gov, or click here to fill out a web form.
- Help for employers: for free and private assistance for compliance with Seattle’s labor standards, call 206-256-5297, email laborstandards@seattle.gov or click here to fill out an employer inquiry form.