KC bans construction company that underpaid workers from getting city contracts

Kansas City will not work with a construction company that the city says failed to pay fair wages to workers on high-profile projects.

The city announced in a news release that CJR Construction Group of Raytown has been debarred for two years, meaning the company cannot receive city contracts during that time.

The decision comes after city officials determined that the company violated the city’s wage rules on three projects, according to a news release, including:

• Failing to pay the minimum required wage to 14 workers on the Three Light Luxury Apartments project in downtown Kansas City.
• Underpaying a worker on the One Nine Vine project in the 18th and Vine Jazz District.Misclassifying an apprentice on the Paseo West-area Jazz Hill Homes project and inaccurately certifying payroll documents.

The violations breach city code and state law, which require companies to pay fair and prevailing wages on projects receiving support from the city, the release said. Developers for each of the projects received tax breaks to help support construction, according to past news reports.

CJR Construction could not be reached for comment on Thursday afternoon.

“This is about protecting workers and protecting public investment,” council member Kevin O’Neill of the First District At-Large said in a statement. “When a company takes city subsidies and cuts corners on the backs of workers, it hurts all of us. This debarment sends a clear message: If you don’t follow the rules, you will lose access to future city work.”