Amazon to Pay $80K After Contractor Failed to Pay Massachusetts Workers Over Christmas

Boston, MA - Delivery giant Amazon is paying up after a contractor failed to pay workers at two Massachusetts warehouses over the holiday season and into the New Year.

A press release from the Massachusetts Attorney General's office Tuesday said Amazon's Florida-based delivery partner VHU Express Inc. and its owner have been cited more than $80,000 in penalties and in restitution to its unpaid workers.

According to the AG's office, 52 workers at Amazon delivery warehouses in Chelsea and Dedham went unpaid from December of last year through February. The state Council on the Underground Economy notified the AG's office of delayed pay issues in January.

Amazon Logistics Inc. hired VHU and its owner, Lisa Bythewood, to provide delivery services for the two warehouses, according to the release. State law requires employers to pay most employees within six days of the end of the pay period during which the wages were earned. Failing to pay workers in a timely manner violates Massachusetts wage and hour laws, AG Maura Healey said in the press release.

Amazon has agreed to pay restitution to the workers and penalties on behalf of VHU and its owner, the AG's release said.

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