IONIA, MI ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered a total of $110,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for six employees of an Ionia hotel, including two who worked there for more than 40 hours per week for nearly 10 months without pay. The couple thought they were working in exchange for free lodging at the hotel, but the hotel still charged them for their stay on some nights they worked.

Employers:    Neubert Painting Inc., Brook Park, Ohio

                         John Neubert, owner

Action:           U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation

Employers:    GoldStar Amusements Inc., owner Michael Featherston, Fairbault, Minnesota

                         Lee’s Concessions Inc., owner Connie Featherston, Fairbault, Minnesota          

Action:           U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge decision

BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent preliminary injunction and order in federal court forbidding a Framingham restaurant and its owner from threatening or retaliating against employees and interfering with the department’s ongoing litigation.

HO-HO-KUS, NJ – Vigorous litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor has convinced a New York roofing company to stop contesting the egregious willful and other citations it received and the $687,536 penalty assessed after a 2022 workplace safety investigation at a Ho-Ho-Kus worksite. 

Employers:    Red Oak Tree Service Inc., Crystal Lake, Illinois

                        Humberto Gonzalez, owner

Action:           U.S. Department of Labor complaint filing

GAINESVILLE, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a federal court complaint against a Lawrenceville pesticide and agricultural chemical manufacturer after the company allegedly terminated a worker’s employment in retaliation for filing a safety and health complaint with the department. 

BALTIMORE – U.S. Department of Labor investigations at four northern Virginia Jersey Mike’s franchise locations have found the operator allowed more than a dozen employees under the age of 16 to perform dangerous tasks and work longer than permitted in violation of federal child labor regulations.

BOSTON – A federal court in Boston entered a consent judgment in May of 2023, ordering two Middlesex County employment staffing agencies and their owners to pay a total of $256,992 in back wages and liquidated damages to 238 current and former employees who were placed with businesses in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. 

BOSTON – Un tribunal federal de Boston dictó una sentencia acordada por las partes en mayo de 2023, en la que ordenó a dos agencias de reclutamiento del condado de Middlesex y a sus propietarios pagar un total de $256,992 en concepto de salarios atrasados e indemnización por daños y perjuicios a 238 empleados actuales y exempleados que ocupaban puestos en empresas de Maine, Massachusetts y New Hampshire.

NEW YORK – An East Patchogue construction contractor will pay $144,000 in penalties and implement enhanced compliance actions and policies to reduce workplace hazards for its companies’ and subcontractors’ employees as part of a stipulated settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor.

PARK HILLS, MO – A Park Hills vegetable farming and packing operation will pay $479,983 in back wages to 208 workers, following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

BOSTON – When the owner of three Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt shops in Massachusetts and New Hampshire terminated an employee who asserted their rights to the tips they had earned, the company violated anti-retaliation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and found themselves facing costly consequences after a U.S.

EVANSVILLE, IN – After learning an Evansville employer has engaged in an ongoing attempt to deprive current and former employees of the money found due to them following a federal wage investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order and injunction against Friendship Diner LLC and its owner, Bardhyl Shabani, and award punitive damages to employees. 

Date of action:           Feb. 1, 2024

HENRY, TN – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint and motion seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent a Henry County farm from allegedly retaliating against two workers who asked about their wages, a protected activity under the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

SOUTH BEND, IN – The U.S. Department of Labor asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order and injunction against Vishav Inc. – operating as Mega Liquor & Smoke – and its owner, Bhola Singh, to stop the Granger, Indiana-based company from retaliating against and intimidating employees owed back wages and liquidated damages. Singh owns and operates 61 Mega Liquor & Smoke stores in Indiana and Michigan. 

Date of Action:          Feb. 28, 2024

Type of Action:         Employee Retirement Income Security Act default judgment

Company/Owners:    Elmhurst Academy of Early Learning Inc.

Date of action:           Feb. 7, 2024

Type of action:          Motion for default judgment granted  by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The action follows a complaint and motion filed by the U.S. Department of Labor on June 15, 2023.

Date of action:           Feb. 8, 2024

Type of action:          Motion for default judgment issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The action follows a complaint and motion filed by the U.S. Department of Labor in November 2022.