HADDONFIELD, N.J. -- The U.S. Labor Department is in the middle of a yearlong investigation into alleged violations of wage and hour laws at New Jersey gasoline stations, the Associated Press reports. New Jersey is one of two states that prohibit customers from pumping their own gasoline.
The agency believes that gasoline attendants are not receiving minimum wage or being paid properly for overtime throughout the state. All 20 northern New Jersey wage-and-hour examiners and some investigators from the southern part of the state are probing alleged abuses.
?It?s one of the worst industries that we have in our state in terms of overall compliance,? said Joseph Petrecca, head of the department?s northern N.J. Wage and Hour Division. He claims that around three-fifths of gasoline retailers do not pay their employees properly.
Petrecca said examiners have attempted to discover illegal pay practices before but now have implemented surveillance methods to capture wrongdoings. From 2007 to 2010, the Labor Department garnered $1.2 million in back pay for N.J. gasoline station workers.
The ?NINJA? campaign?for Noncompliance Initiative for New Jersey Attendants?started in October and has gathered more than $600,000 thus far, said Petrecca.
Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline C-Store Automotive Association, said the campaign isn?t fair to the state?s gasoline retailers. ?It's not that it's prevalent in gas stations?it?s common in any kind of business where the owner does it all and they don't have a payroll department,? he said.
Risalvato also pointed out that many times, the employee is salaried, but regulators think they should receive hourly pay instead. ?They're making it like business owners are ripping off employees,? he said. ?They're not. It's not like the employees are complaining about it.?
Няма коментари:
Публикуване на коментар