Labor Department seeks to ban Senate cafeteria contractor

by Lydia Wheeler - 12/30/16 3:36 PM ET

The Department of Labor (DOL) wants a Senate cafeteria contractor banned from bidding on any government contracts for at least three years.

The agency initiated disbarment proceedings earlier this week by filing a complaint with its Office of Administrative Law Judges against Restaurant Associates Inc. and its principal officer, Dick Cattani.

The DOL claims the company breached its contract and violated the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act when it shorted Senate cafeteria workers more than $1 million in wages, which the company and its subcontractor, Personnel Plus, have since repaid.

{mosads}The DOL says doing business with the federal government is a privilege, not a right.

“Federal contractors should conduct their business in accordance with the highest standards and comply with the law by paying their workers the wages to which they are legally entitled,” Oscar Hampton III, the agency’s regional solicitor in Philadelphia, said in a statement.

“The complaint underscores those principles, and was filed to ensure a fair and level competitive playing field for all federal contractors and a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work for all those who perform work pursuant to federal contracts.”

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