NJDOL Recovers $133K in Back Wages For Supermarket Employees

TRENTON – An employee-generated complaint led the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s (NJDOL) Division of Wage and Hour Compliance to recover $133,490.74 for nine underpaid supermarket workers.

NJDOL audited the employer, R & J Supermarket Corp. – doing business as Supermarket La Roca – in Jersey City, on behalf of the nine workers. A recent U.S. Department of Labor audit revealed overtime, minimum wage and recordkeeping violations for which the company was fined, but the federal audit did not include the nine workers who were paid in cash.

The state audit resulted in La Roca Supermarket agreeing to repay wages ranging from $8,717.80 to $22,239.36 to the employees. In addition to the $133,490.74, the employer was also cited for failing to maintain required employee records, and ordered to pay $49,349.07 in penalties and fees.

“New Jersey workers deserve to take home every penny they earn – not to be shortchanged by being paid off-the-books in cash,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “This practice is illegal, inequitable to the workers, and blatantly unfair to the vast majority of employers who play by the rules.”

Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Wage and Hour Compliance Joseph Petrecca added, “This type of egregious wage theft will not be tolerated in New Jersey, and we encourage all businesses to see it is in their best interest to comply with the law.”

For more information on New Jersey’s wage and hour laws, please visit myworkrights.nj.gov.

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