Federal court orders gas station operator to pay $226K in back pay, damages for six New Jersey gas station attendants denied full wages

Employers:                  

Point Pleasant Associates Inc., Owner Bidiawatie Singh and company officer Surjeet Singh                 

355 McKinley Ave. Edison, New Jersey 08050

Investigation sites:      

Spirit Gas Station, 14 South NY Ave., Absecon, New Jersey 08205                                      

Sun Petro Gas, 101 Absecon Blvd., Absecon, New Jersey 08201                             

Delta Gas, 734 W. White Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey 08215

Investigation findings: The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey entered a consent judgment on Oct. 5, 2022, ordering the employers to pay back wages as well as liquidated and punitive damages to six workers, in response to a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Labor. The department’s action follows an investigation by its Wage and Hour Division that found the operators of three full-service gas stations in New Jersey – who sometimes required attendants to work 12-hour days, seven days a week – failed to pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and overtime rates for hours over 40 in a workweek. Division investigators also determined the employers directed employees to sign false statements submitted to the division in an attempt to disguise their unlawful pay practices. These actions violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Back wages/damages recovered:    

$107,149 in back wages

$107,149 in liquidated damages

$12,000 in punitive damages

Workers Affected:                            Six

Penalties paid:                                   $3,702 in civil money penalties

Quote: “Our investigations show that the pay practices of New Jersey’s gas station industry employers all too commonly shortchange workers and violate federal law,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Charlene Rachor in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. “This judgment secures hard-earned wages for gas station workers who labor long hours mostly outdoors trying to support themselves and their families.”  

Background:  Operating in one of the few states that prohibit motorists from pumping gas, the New Jersey’s gas station industry depends on workers employed as full-service attendants to operate pumps and provide other services. 

For more information about the FLSA and other laws the division enforces, contact its toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially with questions or concerns – regardless of where they are from – and the department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. Help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free.