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Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Labor Investigation: Underpaid NJ Workers to Get Nearly $111,000 in Back Wages

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 7, 2019

TRENTON – Some 42 food service employees will receive nearly $111,000 in back pay following an investigation into wage violations by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL).

NJDOL’s Division of Wage & Hour Compliance investigated after an employee filed a wage complaint against the employer, In Thyme Food Services L.L.C., operating as Berry Creek Café in three locations: Moonachie, Secaucus, and Edison.

The investigation found employees working at multiple locations but not being paid overtime for working more than 40 hours per week, and some who were paid a portion of their wages off the books. A self-audit by the company showed it owed $110,603.38 to the underpaid workers, ranging from a high of $18,898.34 to a low of $15.

“When New Jersey workers are denied overtime or paid off the books, they are deprived of fair wages. Our society improves when employers play by the rules, and treat every employee fairly,” Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said.

The company also was assessed $11,060.34 in fees and $20,000 in penalties.

“Employees deserve to be paid every penny they earn,” said Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Wage and Hour Compliance Joseph Petrecca. “When businesses comply with our state’s wage and hour laws, both employers and employees benefit.”

For more information on New Jersey’s Wage and Hour Laws, please visit myworkrights.nj.gov