HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The U.S. Department of Labor recently recovered about $73,000 in back wages from a Hawaii food wholesaler who denied overtime pay to 11 of its warehouse employees.
Investigators found that Family Food Co. Inc., located in Kapolei, failed to pay 11 warehouse employees who were working over 40 hours in a workweek, which is in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Investigators determined that the food wholesaler illegally gave workers the option to either clock in overtime hours worked or to instead accept overtime cash payments to avoid paying taxes on those earnings.
Family Food Co. Inc. also kept inaccurate time and payroll records for its employees, which violated federal recordkeeping requirements.
“Employers cannot reduce their labor costs by entering into illegal agreements with workers that undermine federally mandated wage standards,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Terence Trotter in Honolulu. “Overtime worked should be overtime paid.”
The local food wholesaler is ordered to pay the $73,000 back, in addition to $8,877 for civil penalties.
Family Food Co. Inc. wholesales imported bulk goods and repackages them for sale to food retailers all across Hawaii.
Source : HawaiiNewsNow
