If drywall and flooring could talk, it'd probably have a dark story to tell about Wisconsin's ongoing construction boom. Behind projects big and small, say people close to the industry, there thrives an underground economy made up of contractors who cheat their workers out of wages and benefits to deliver projects on time and under budget.

Tagged with: Construction Business Group Department of Workforce Development wage theft worker misclassification

Gov. Tony Evers on Friday announced appointments to a task force that will examine worker misclassification and payroll fraud in Wisconsin.

Tagged with: Caleb Frostman Department of Workforce Development worker misclassification

As Wisconsin revisits rules to crack down on worker misclassification, a new law that took effect in Minnesota on Monday is attaching criminal penalties not only to that particular abuse but also other forms of wage theft — making it one of the strictest such laws in the country.

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State officials on Monday said they are searching for new ways to prevent the abuse of worker misclassification, a persistent source of concern that contractors blame for keeping bids artificially low and giving rise to an underground economy.

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Gov. Tony Evers is convening a task force to recommend ways to combat the abuse of work misclassification.

Tagged with: Dan Bukiewicz Department of Workforce Development Gov. Scott Walker Gov. Tony Evers Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council worker misclassification

When Dave Jones started his plumbing business in his garage in Mt. Horeb in 1977, he never envisioned it becoming a company with heating, fire-protection and electrical divisions.

Tagged with: apprenticeship Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin Dave Jones Inc. Department of Workforce Development On the level

Gov. Tony Evers' proposed budget wouldn't do enough to attract workers to Wisconsin and his proposals, including increasing the minimum wage, would actually hurt businesses, Republican lawmakers on the Legislature's budget committee argued on Thursday.

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Gov.-elect Tony Evers named five members of his Cabinet on Thursday, including two Democratic state lawmakers and a former Obama administration official who had worked on the federal health care law.

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Wisconsin's unemployment rate is at or below 3 percent for a record ninth month in a row.

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Wisconsin's unemployment rate came in under 3 percent for the eighth straight month, providing more good economic news for Gov. Scott Walker as he sets his sights on winning re-election just over two weeks from now.

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