A Coeur d’Alene tree-planting company and its subcontractor are contesting federal investigators’ findings that they underpaid migrant crews on national forest jobs in Idaho and Oregon by more than $100,000.

According to a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, Alpha Services LLC paid workers on a piece-rate basis where they failed to earn the prevailing hourly rate required by federal law. The company contracts for reforestation work with the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

Alpha Services also showed federal investigators inaccurate records of the number of hours the employees worked, creating a false impression that workers’ earnings met the required rate, agency officials said.

Echo Group LLC, a subcontractor, was also responsible for failing to pay the prevailing wages, investigators said.

But Robert Zahaire, co-owner of Alpha Services, disputes the government’s account. The companies are contesting the investigation’s findings to a federal administrative law judge/Becky Kramer, SR. More here (paywall).

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