Construction workers were told to stop work at John Faber Elementary School in Dunellen as the result of a state inspection at the site. 

The stop order came from the New Jersey Department of Workforce and Labor. An inspection found two contractors violated laws.

Work was stopped on building four additional classrooms in the rear of the building. The Division of Wage and Hour and Contract Compliance conducted a site inspection on Sept. 28 and delivered the stop-work notices on Sept. 29 to the two contractors working at the school.

Bismark Construction Corp. was cited for hiring an unregistered subcontractor, while Concrete Solutions N.J. L.L.C. was cited for failure to register. Subpoenas have been issued to both companies to produce time and payroll records.

Back in 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law allowing the NJDOL to immediately stop work at any public or private work site when an initial investigation finds evidence that the employer has violated any state wage, benefit or tax laws.

In an attached statement, a representative of the Division of Wage and Hour and Contract Compliance says, “In recent years, NJDOL has identified an alarming trend of unregistered contractors and worker exploitation at school construction projects." 

News 12 reached out to the two contractors cited. The owner of Concrete Solutions says this is likely a paperwork error and that they would be able to provide more information following a hearing in the next week.  

The contractors can appeal, and the stop work order may be lifted if and when the two contractors are compliant and any back wages paid.