AI-assisted research summary: Workers may sue for unpaid wages or overtime, a committee may seek injunctive relief for prevailing-wage violations, the director may sue after a written request and assignment, and the court must award reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
(a) The following civil actions may be instituted in any court of competent jurisdiction: (1) An action to recover unpaid wages or overtime compensation may be maintained by any one or more laborers or mechanics for and on behalf of oneself or themselves and others similarly situated; and (2) An action for injunctive and other relief against an employer that fails to pay the prevailing wage to its employees as required by this chapter by a joint labor-management committee established pursuant to section 175a of the federal Labor Management Cooperation Act of 1978 (29 U.S.C. 175a). (b) The court, in its action and in addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, shall allow reasonable attorney's fee and costs of the action to be paid by the defendant. (c) It shall be no defense that the laborers and mechanics accepted or agreed to accept less than the required rate of wages or overtime compensation or voluntarily made refunds. (d) When a written request is filed by any laborer or mechanic with the director claiming unpaid wages or overtime compensation under this chapter, the director, after receiving an assignment from the laborer or mechanic, may bring an action in any court of competent jurisdiction to recover the amount of the claim. The consent of any laborer or mechanic to the bringing of such action by the director, unless the action is dismissed without prejudice on motion of the director, shall constitute a waiver by the laborer or mechanic of any right of action the laborer or mechanic may have under subsection (a). Any amount recovered by the director before suit and accepted by the laborer or mechanic as payment in full shall constitute a waiver of any rights under this chapter. [L 1995, c 181, pt of §2; am L 2007, c 16, §1]