Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Christian Siding, a construction company that has worked on projects across DC, must pay $725,000 to resolve allegations that the company failed to pay “prevailing wages" to workers on three publicly-funded affordable housing projects and misclassified workers as independent contractors on 13 additional projects. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) also alleged that Christian Siding deprived these workers of overtime wages and benefits, like paid sick leave and overtime pay, that they were legally entitled to.
Under the terms of a settlement agreement, Christian Siding will pay more than $364,000 to 229 harmed workers, as well as $360,000 in penalties to the District, and will be required to make significant changes to its business practices and submit to compliance monitoring for two years.
“Failing to pay the required prevailing wage cheats both workers and DC taxpayers out of the full financial benefits of publicly-funded projects,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “In DC, legal accountability for prevailing wage violations extends all the way up the contracting chain—if your company or any of its subcontractors are underpaying workers, all of you can be held accountable. This settlement puts money back where it belongs and ensures that all construction firms in DC compete on a level playing field.”
What Are “Prevailing Wages”?
Federal and DC law establish wage floors for different types of skilled construction workers on taxpayer-funded and taxpayer-subsidized projects—meaning that companies on these projects must pay workers at a rate higher than the local minimum wage and must either provide “fringe benefits” like health insurance or pay an additional hourly rate for benefits compensation. Failing to pay required “prevailing wages” deprives workers’ of wages they have earned—and deprives taxpayers and the local workforce of the full benefits of the District’s investments in affordable housing.
Settlement Background
Christian Siding is a Virginia-based construction company specializing in building exteriors, including siding, roofing, doors, and windows, that has worked on construction projects across the District of Columbia and in neighboring states.
An OAG investigation uncovered evidence that Christian Siding violated DC’s wage and hour laws by:
Denying wages and benefits to more than 200 construction workers through illegal misclassification. OAG alleges that from 2021 to early 2024, Christian Siding illegally classified workers as independent contractors even though they should have been considered employees under DC employment laws. As a result of this misclassification, workers on at least 16 construction projects across the District were deprived of wages and benefits they were legally owed – they were not paid overtime wages when they worked more than 40 hours in a week, did not receive paid sick leave, and were not protected by unemployment insurance or workers’ compensation.
Systematically depriving workers of their earned wages on publicly-funded affordable housing projects by paying less than the required “prevailing wage.” OAG alleges that Christian Siding underpaid construction workers on three taxpayer-funded or taxpayer-subsidized projects in DC: The Ethel (1900 C Street SE), a building that will provide 100 units of permanent supportive housing in Hill East; Terrace Manor (3301 23rd Street SE), a new 130-unit building in Anacostia that will provide housing for people earning up to 60% of area median income; and The Appleton (1125 Spring Road NW) an 88-unit building for low income seniors.
Christian Siding cooperated with OAG’s investigation and agreed to implement changes to its policies and procedures to ensure future compliance with District law. Under the terms of a settlement agreement resolving these allegations, Christian Siding must:
- Pay $364,473 to workers. Christian Siding will pay restitution and damages to 229 construction workers who were misclassified or underpaid on projects across the District. Eligible workers will be notified by a third-party claims administrator in the coming weeks.
- Pay $360,526 in penalties to the District.
- Significantly reform its practices. Christian Siding will implement new processes to ensure that all workers hired for projects in the District are properly classified in compliance with District law and receive all of the wages and benefits they are legally owed.
- Submit to two years of compliance monitoring by OAG.
- Face additional penalties for any future worker misclassification.
The settlement is available here.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Jude Nwaokobia; former Assistant Attorney General Christian Whitmer; Paralegal Diego Pereira; Assistant Section Chief Dennis Corkery; and Section Chief Graham Lake.
OAG’s Efforts to Protect Workers
OAG’s Workers’ Rights and Antifraud Section is dedicated to fighting wage theft, protecting District workers, and ensuring that businesses in the District compete on a level playing field. Since AG Schwalb became the District’s elected, independent Attorney General in January 2023, OAG has secured more than $20 million for workers and the District. In total, since gaining independent wage theft enforcement authority in 2015, OAG has secured over $35 million by investigating and bringing enforcement actions against employers who violate District law. OAG’s wage theft enforcement efforts have focused on industries with high populations of vulnerable workers, such as construction, restaurants and hospitality, healthcare, and the gig economy. Learn more about OAG’s efforts to uphold workers’ rights over the last year in OAG’s 2025 Labor Day Report.
How to Report Wage and Hour Violations
Workers who believe that their rights have been violated, or that they have experienced wage theft or other wage and hour violations, can contact OAG by calling (202) 724-7730 or emailing workers@dc.gov or trabajadores@dc.gov.