When any employer fails to pay an employee wages in accordance with the provisions of sections 31-71a to 31-71i, inclusive, or fails to compensate an employee in accordance with section 31-76k or where an employee or a labor organization representing an employee institutes an action to enforce an arbitration award which requires an employer to make an employee whole or to make payments to an employee welfare fund, such employee or labor organization shall recover, in a civil action, (1) twice the full amount of such wages, with costs and such reasonable attorney's fees as may be allowed by the court, or (2) if the employer establishes that the employer had a good faith belief that the underpayment of wages was in compliance with law, the full amount of such wages or compensation, with costs and such reasonable attorney's fees as may be allowed by the court. Any agreement between an employee and his or her employer for payment of wages other than as specified in said sections shall be no defense to such action. The Labor Commissioner may collect the full amount of any such unpaid wages, payments due to an employee welfare fund or such arbitration award, as well as interest calculated in accordance with the provisions of section 31-265 from the date the wages or payment should have been received, had payment been made in a timely manner. In addition, the Labor Commissioner may bring any legal action necessary to recover twice the full amount of unpaid wages, payments due to an employee welfare fund or arbitration award, and the employer shall be required to pay the costs and such reasonable attorney's fees as may be allowed by the court. The commissioner shall distribute any wages, arbitration awards or payments due to an employee welfare fund collected pursuant to this section to the appropriate person.

See Sec. 52-596 re statute of limitation for actions for payment of remuneration for employment.

(1951, S. 1291b; 1955, S. 3015d; 1967, P.A. 641; P.A. 78-358, S. 2, 6; P.A. 89-157, S. 2; P.A. 90-55, S. 1, 3; P.A. 15-86, S. 2.)

History: 1967 act deleted reference to repealed Sec. 31-71, added reference to Secs. 31-71a to 31-37i, authorized recoveries by labor organizations and made provisions applicable to cases where employee or labor organization institutes action to enforce arbitration award; P.A. 78-358 authorized recovery of twice the amount of wages and costs where previously recovery was limited to the amount itself and substituted “recover the amount provided by this section” for “collect such claim” in provision re bringing of legal action; P.A. 89-157 deleted the provisions allowing the labor commissioner to take an assignment of an employee's wage claim and provided for the collection and distribution by the labor commissioner of unpaid wages, payments due an employee welfare fund and arbitration awards; P.A. 90-55 made provisions applicable to cases where employer has failed to compensate an employee in accordance with Sec. 31-76k; P.A. 15-86 replaced “may” with “shall” re recovery in civil action, designated provision re twice the full amount of wages as Subdiv. (1), added Subdiv. (2) re employer's good faith belief, and made technical changes.