Cranford Library Expansion Temporarily Halted After State Issues Stop-Work Order Over Labor Violations

CRANFORD, NJ - Work on the Cranford Public Library expansion project was temporarily halted last month after the New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) issued a stop-work order against a subcontractor tied to the site, citing wage theft and multiple labor law violations.According to an April 14 statement from the state, investigators issued two stop-work orders on April 8 against Artur Alves Excavating Inc. of Franklin Township following findings of violations at public works projects, including the library construction in Cranford and a project at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.At the Cranford site, the company had been hired as a subcontractor by Grove Contracting L.L.C., the project’s primary contractor. The state cited a range of violations, including failure to pay prevailing wage, failure to maintain accurate certified payroll records, lack of required wage orientation documentation, unpaid or late wages, missing time records, earned sick leave record violations, and a falsified certificate. The NJDOL reported that 12 workers were affected. The employer has requested a hearing.“Wage theft and payroll fraud on public works projects betrays workers, taxpayers, and honest contractors,” said Assistant Commissioner Joseph Petrecca in the statement. “We will continue to vigorously enforce the state’s labor laws to protect the rights of every worker and hold bad actors accountable.”The NJDOL noted that stop-work orders are used to halt work that violates state labor laws and may remain in place until back wages and penalties are resolved. The agency can assess civil penalties of $5,000 per day if work continues in violation of an order.Township of Cranford officials said they were notified of the stop-work order on April 8 and emphasized that subcontractors are not selected by the municipality or the Cranford Public Library.“New Jersey State Law mandates that municipalities must award contracts exceeding a set bid threshold to the ‘lowest responsible bidder’ through public advertising and competitive bidding, governed by the Local Public Contracts Law (LPCL),” officials said in a statement. “Cranford followed this process and Grove Contracting was the selected contractor. As part of the Library Expansion Project, Grove Contracting signed a Prevailing Wage Act Certification, indicating that they would abide by those regulations.”Officials added that the contractor replaced the subcontractor following the state’s action. “Grove Contracting reports that they relied on an in-house crew in order to prevent any immediate work delays," the statement continued. "And the new subcontractor will be on site soon for other parts of the project in accordance with the work schedule.”State officials said NJDOL has issued more than 200 stop-work orders since its enforcement authority expanded in 2019 and continues to monitor affected sites to ensure compliance.