Some U.S. oil and gas firms are "routinely" and illegally underpaying their workers, according to a report in ProPublica.
A review of hundreds of U.S. Department of Labor investigations found that firms in the intensely competitive domestic energy market are using accounting techniques to deny medical leave, unemployment insurance or overtime pay, the report said.
The government inquiries focus on worker "misclassification," which entails accounting for full-time employees as independent contractors, said ProPublica, which cited sources close to the investigations who said the practice is "pervasive" among "all sizes of companies."