HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Nearly 15% of the state’s stop-work orders over the past three years were issued to employers in Hudson County, according to New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL).

Between July 2019 and July 2022, the DOL ordered 71 businesses to temporarily shut down over strong evidence workers are being exploited and conducted follow-up investigations that found nearly $1 million in back wages owed to 235 workers.

Statewide, Hudson and Ocean counties were tied for the most work stoppage orders — 10 each.

According to the DOL, 57 of the investigations involved construction jobs and led to 11 contractors being barred future public works jobs.

The most common violations leading to stop-work orders were:

• Employers not having workers’ compensation insurance or misclassifying employees as independent contractors.
• Employers who fail to pay prevailing wage or overtime
• Employers who have outstanding judgments against them
• Employers whose workers were not paid, were paid late or were shorted, or were paid in cash off the books

The DOL’s update comes three years after the state enacted legislation that granted the department broader power to issue stop-work orders if initial investigation finds an employer has violated any state wage, benefit or tax laws.

Under the law, the DOL can immediately halt work at any public or private work site — both construction and non-construction — and the order can extend across employer’s worksites and places of...

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