Say Glendale Grocer Cheated Workers’ Wages
Eighteen underpaid grocery store workers stand to get a big pay day after the owner of a Glendale-based supermarket chain agreed to pay back wages and damages in a settlement with the federal Labor Department, it was announced on Tuesday, May 13.
Andres Ferreira, owner of companies based at 67-16 Myrtle Ave. that operate 17 neighborhood supermarkets in Brooklyn, Queens, upstate New York and Massachusetts, will pay $372,000 to the employees, each of whom work as baggers at checkout counters.
Two of the Queens locations which Ferreira operates include the NSA Supermarket located with his office at 67-16 Myrtle Ave. in Glendale and an NSASupermarket at 99-30 Corona Ave. in Corona. The other markets he and his companies operate conduct business publicly as either NSA Supermarket, NSA Golden Mango or Met Food.
Investigators with the federal Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division determined in an inquiry that the baggers at the 17 supermarkets worked for less than the $7.25 hourly federal minimum wage; many of them relied upon tips they received from shoppers.
Reportedly, just two workers were on the payroll earning “a minimal weekly salary,” according to the Labor Department. Most of the workers cheated out of proper wages spoke Spanish, it was noted.
The Labor Department determined that Ferreira and his companies violated minimum wage and record-keeping provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act, which also mandate that workers be provided time-and-a-half hourly wages for every hour worked beyond 40 per week.
“Supermarkets that underpay their employees also undercut those employers who elect to obey the law and pay lawfully required wages,” said Maria L. Rosario, who directs the Wage and Hour Division’s New York City district office. “This settlement applies to all 17 stores. We welcome this employer’s commitment to enterprise-wide compliance and encourage other employers to follow suit in ensuring that they comply with federal wage laws at all locations.”
Under provisions in the agreement, Ferreira and his companies agreed to publicly post Fair Labor Standards Act fliers in English and Spanish conspicuously in each store to advise employees of their rights under labor laws.
As for compensation, the 18 workers will receive a combined $248,115 in back wages and $124,057 in damages as ordered by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Ferreira and his companies will also pay $7,480 in civil penalties.
Should the defendants fail to comply, the Labor Department noted, the court will appoint a receiver to ensure proper payment.
For more information on the Fair Labor Standards Act, call 1-866- 4US-WAGE or visit www.dol.gov/whd.
