Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
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US Labor Department recovers more than $23,000 in back wages for 4 employees of New Haven, Conn., restaurant
Cafe Goodfellas also assessed penalties for willful, repeat wage and hour law violations
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered a total of $23,636 in minimum and overtime back wages for four employees of Goodfellas Cafe LLC, known locally as Cafe Goodfellas, after an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
“This was our second investigation of this establishment in a short period of time,” said Neil Patrick, the Wage and Hour Division’s district director in Hartford. “The previous investigation resulted in three kitchen employees being paid $7,000 in minimum and overtime back wages, and the owner agreed to future compliance with the law.”
Patrick noted that the most recent investigation revealed similar violations. Additionally, accurate records of the employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment were not maintained as required by the FLSA.
Goodfellas Cafe LLC and owner Gennaro Iannaccone were assessed a civil money penalty totaling $1,870 for willful and recurring violations of the FLSA, because of obvious knowledge of the law’s requirements based on the previous case.
“After the diligent efforts of our investigators in this case, it was very satisfying to have the owner personally deliver the back wage checks to the Wage and Hour Division’s New Haven office,” said Glenn Gaetano, the division’s assistant district director in New Haven. “Three of the employees came into the office and received checks totaling almost $16,000. We sent a check for more than $7,000 to the fourth worker, now living in Canada. All were very grateful for our efforts on their behalf.”
The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour as well as time and one-half their regular rates for every hour they work beyond 40 per week. The law also requires employers to maintain accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment, and prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who exercise their rights under the law.
For more information about the FLSA, call the Wage and Hour Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov/whd.
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