U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Florida Grocery Store Paying $15,264 in Back Wages and Damages to 13 Employees

WINTER GARDEN, FL – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, JJB Food Corp. has paid $15,264 in back wages to 13 employees for violating minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). WHD also assessed the Winter Garden, Florida, grocery store a civil penalty of $1,308 for child labor violations.

WHD investigators determined that JJB Food Corp. - doing business as Bravo’s Supermarket - deducted money from employees’ wages to account for cash drawer shortages, resulting in minimum wage violations. The company also incurred overtime violations by deducting for short breaks less than 20 minutes and inaccurately classifying two employees as salaried exempt that led the company to pay them a flat salary without additional overtime compensation when they worked more than 40 hours per workweek.

WHD also found that JJB Food Corp. violated child labor laws when it allowed two 15-year-old minors to work more than three hours per day on school days and after 7 p.m. after Labor Day 2017. Current regulations permit 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day.

“We encourage all employers to review their pay practices and contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance. Doing so can help ensure all employees are paid properly and that all employers operate on a level playing field,” said Daniel White, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Jacksonville.

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by WHD.