The series of articles by Casey Ross on the illegal and unethical labor practices on the recent renovation of the Boston Marriott Copley Place pull back the curtain on the seamy underside of private construction. The sub-minimum-wage payments to workers in a drug rehab program are just the latest version of extensive underground-economy scams that hurt workers, legitimate employers, and taxpayers.

Host Hotels & Resorts’ claims of ignorance are disingenuous, at best. Early on in the project, the hotel became the site of weekly protests over these issues.