A federal court order has been secured by the U.S. Department of Labor to stop a Long Island restaurant’s chef/owner from hiring minors to work at unauthorized hours of the night.
The court order in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York also prohibits Caribbean Island Restaurant and Bar LLC and Bibi Zalena Bethune from hindering an investigation by the division's Wage and Hour Division, according to a July 19 Department of Labor news release.
“Child labor laws help ensure that the hours worked by young workers do not impede their educational and developmental opportunities, and the jobs they perform do not jeopardize their health and well-being,” Wage and Hour Division District Director David An in Westbury, N.Y., said in the release. “We encourage employers and employees, including young workers and their families, to contact us about employer obligations and workers’ rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.”
Investigators visiting the Freeport restaurant at approximately 10:15 p.m. July 11 reported a 14-year-old minor was working later than the law allows, which is from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day, and no later than 7 p.m. the rest of the year, the release reported.
The Wage and Hour Division must be able to interview employees and employers without obstruction and get to gather information freely, Regional Solicitor of Labor in New York, Jeffrey S. Rogoff, said, according to the release.
“Obstructing an investigation is illegal, and the U.S. Department of Labor will pursue swift and effective legal remedies when the situation warrants,” he said in the release.
