Employers:                            JJ Pizza Service LLC and S&S Pizza LLC – both operating as Little Caesars

Investigation sites:               

AVON PARK, FL – A labor contractor who provided farm workers to harvest blueberries for OzBlu in Venus failed to reimburse workers for the cost their visa fees in violation of federal law, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found.

BUFFALO, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered $106,623 in back wages and liquidated damages for 37 cashiers and cooks employed at three Pita Gourmet locations in Erie and Niagara counties after its investigation found the operator paid some employees cash off the books, paid straight time for overtime for hours worked over 40 in a workweek and failed to combine hours worked by employees at multiple locations.

SALT LAKE CITY – The U.S. Department of Labor is stepping up its efforts to identify child labor violations in the Salt Lake City area as school closings for the summer nears, and its Wage and Hour Division offers the findings of three recent investigations to remind employers about the regulations and limitations related to the employment youth.

WASHINGTON – Despite their critical role in the economy, farmworkers too often face unpaid wages, unsafe transportation to and from worksites, and substandard housing conditions.

MEMPHIS, TN – The operator of a Memphis Shell gas station and convenience store paid workers cash bonuses in place of overtime pay and persuaded them to sign altered time records to avoid paying full overtime wages due, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found.   

WASHINGTON – A pesar de su papel crítico en la economía, los trabajadores agrícolas con demasiada frecuencia enfrentan salarios no pagados, transporte inseguro hacia y desde los lugares de trabajo y condiciones de vivienda deficientes.

WHO:             U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division

                        Doña Anna Community College

WHAT:           2022 Agricultural Employer Seminar

PITTSBURGH – Following litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor, a federal court has entered a consent judgment against three restaurants – one in Pennsylvania and two in West Virginia – and their owners after investigators found they paid back-of-the-house employees off-the-books salaries for all hours worked and denied them overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

GOOSE CREEK, SC – A Goose Creek restaurant shortchanged 21 workers and allowed minor-aged employees to work more hours than the law permits, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has revealed.

GOOSE CREEK, SC - Un restaurante de Goose Creek no pagó a 21 trabajadores y permitió que empleados menores de edad trabajaran más horas de las permitidas por ley, según ha revelado una investigación del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU.

INDEPENDENCE, VA – Following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, and an administrative law judge’s order, 20 temporary agricultural workers who traveled from Mexico to help provide pumpkins, Christmas trees and produce for Mid-Atlantic consumers will be paid $19,988 in back wages by an Independence farm. The farm will also pay $36,000 in civil money penalties.

SEATTLE – An ongoing federal initiative to investigate pay practices of residential builders in Washington State found that a Lacey contractor recklessly failed to pay workers overtime for hours they worked over 40 in a workweek in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is continuing its multi-year education and enforcement initiative to increase compliance with federal labor laws in the Southeast’s agricultural industry. In addition to enforcement activity, the initiative provides compliance assistance to employers and educates workers and other stakeholders.

ATLANTA - La División de Horas y Salarios del Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos continúa con su iniciativa plurianual de formación y cumplimiento de la ley para aumentar el cumplimiento de las leyes laborales federales en la industria agrícola del sureste. Además de la actividad de cumplimiento de la ley, la iniciativa proporciona asistencia para el cumplimiento a los empleadores y forma a los trabajadores y otras partes interesadas.

HONOLULU –The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $62,908 in back wages and liquidated damages for 42 workers after an investigation found the operators of five Hawaii restaurants denied them overtime pay and allowed a manager and other employees to take a portion of the workers’ tips illegally.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will offer online compliance seminars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders to provide information on the requirements governing payment of prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.

PHILADELPHIA – A federal court has ordered a Philadelphia home healthcare staffing agency and its owner to pay nearly $410,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 43 employees after U.S. Department of Labor investigators found that the employer misclassified workers as independent contractors.

HARTFORD, CT – A federal court entered a consent order that requires two Fairfield County restaurants and their owners – who used threats of retaliation to coerce nine workers to kick back thousands of dollars of back wages and liquidated damages recovered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division – to pay $150,000 to those employees.

Employer:                              Chong’s Restaurant

Investigation site:                  5136 Hinkleville Road, Paducah, Kentucky 42001