Berkshire-based Soleil Personnel and Sunshine Cleaning fined $236,936 by state for labor violations

Boston and Berkshire County — Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office announced on Friday, September 27, that Soleil Personnel and Sunshine Cleaning, located in Pittsfield, has been fined $236,936 for labor violations.

The total amount includes $167,436 in restitution and damages for workers and $69,500 for penalties.

According to a press release issued by the Attorney General’s Office, the citations were issued for violations of various Massachusetts wage and hour laws. The violations include failure to make timely payment of wages, retaining service employees’ tips, failure to pay overtime, non-payment of wages, and failure to keep true and accurate records. 

The company also paid $15,000 in restitution and penalties to resolve the Attorney General’s Office’s claims that the businesses fired three employees in retaliation for the employees’ complaints about wage and hour violations. 

According to the press release, Sunshine Cleaning provided housekeeping services to Vacation Village in the Berkshires, a Hancock timeshare resort.

Soleil Personnel manages payroll and administration for Sunshine Cleaning.  

The matter was referred to the attorney general’s Fair Labor Division by Western Mass Labor Action in March 2024. The initial complaint alleged that the company was shaving time from payroll and taking tips left for housekeeping employees. 

The Fair Labor Division’s investigation confirmed the violations, and the division determined that the employer fired three employees in retaliation for their complaining about wage and hour violations. 

The division cited the companies for violations between May 2022 and June 2024, including retaliation, tip theft, nonpayment of overtime, and recordkeeping violations.