Stop & Shop stores in Clinton and Madison were among 18 locations statewide, including ShopRite and Whole Foods retailers, to be issued stop-work orders by the state after wage complaints were lodged against cleaning contractors, the Department of Labor said Monday.

Paraiba Cleaning Corporation of Worcester, Mass., and USD Cleaning LLC of Hartford were cited for workplace violations.

"DOL investigators visited the stores the night of July 19 after receiving complaints that the employees had not been paid properly or were owed wages for working overtime hours," according to a Labor Department press release. "Upon interviewing the employees, it was determined that some were working seven days a week and receiving no overtime."

The department added that employees were not covered by workers' compensation or unemployment insurance.

Violations were discovered at ShopRite stores in Canton and West Hartford, Whole Foods stores in West Hartford and Glastonbury and a total of 13 Stop & Shop locations. In all, 23 employees of contractors at these stores had not been fully protected by wage and workplace laws.

“Unfortunately, this is a situation where employees are not being provided the proper workplace protections that are the right of every working person,” Scott D. Jackson, Labor Department commissioner, said in a statement. “This is an unacceptable way to do business in Connecticut because our workers are not protected should they get hurt on the job or become unemployed."

Under state law, companies are fined $300 a day for each worker it employs in violation of regulations. Work can resume only after a firm can show proof that all problems have been rectified.

The Labor Department has issued more than 2,000 stop-work orders because of companies' failure to provide required coverage, misclassification of workers as independent contractors and failure to keep proper records.

Companies unsure of the law can find information at www.ct.gov/dol or by calling (860) 263-6790.

l.howard@theday.com