All workers have the right to be paid for their work. On Wednesday, September 14, 3 workers and 2 CoFiA volunteers traveled to Trenton to try to make sure the workers were paid.
The 3 workers were owed thousands of dollars from a restaurant owner in Palisades Park, so CoFiA had filed a DOL wage claim for them. Having exhausted all other avenues DOL scheduled a hearing, the men appeared, and won their total claims. The owner did not appear so the court was justified in awarding to the wage-theft plaintiffs.
The CoFiA committee and workers had worked hard to arrange a settlement with the employer, including recruiting a Korean speaker to help. He wept and apologized–and then disappeared. Committee members tracked down his address and supplied it to DOL, which used it to summon the employer to Trenton.
Now DOL will give him 45 days to settle or face further action. But first they have to find him! The workers know it’s a long shot–but they now believe that New Jersey’s commitment to workers getting paid is real.
Stay tuned–the job’s not done until the money’s in hand!
In another very recent case, a worker provided a mobile number but no employer last name. The committee’s sleuthing discovered the employer, “Roger”, in New Brunswick. When the case was filed with DOL, and they sent a summons, he settled directly with the worker. Only a day’s work–$120–but any settlement is always satisfying.
Thanks to our wage theft committee and the brave and determined workers who refuse to accept being swindled!
