The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a federal court judgment requiring 15 gas stations, operating under brands such as BP, Mobil, and Sunoco in Bronx, Nassau, and Suffolk counties, to pay over $1 million in back wages and liquidated damages to more than 100 current and former employees. This judgment follows a federal investigation.
In March 2022, the department’s Office of the Solicitor filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York based on an investigation by the Wage and Hour Division. The investigation revealed that from 2015 through 2018, businesses owned by Jagjit Singh failed to pay employees overtime, paid some less than minimum wage, and did not maintain proper wage records as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The division specifically found that Singh's businesses violated federal law by withholding overtime pay from employees who often worked over 40 hours per week, including some who exceeded 85 hours per week. Employees were paid straight-time rates instead of the required overtime rates. Additionally, some employees were not paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The businesses also failed to maintain accurate or complete records of wages, hours, and other employment conditions.
“As an owner of 15 gas stations, Jagjit Singh deliberately and illegally denied over one hundred employees and their families of hard-earned wages,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director David An in Westbury, New York. “The back wages recovered, and damages and penalties assessed send a clear signal to all employers that intentionally defying federal law will have costly consequences.”
The judgment requires Singh and his businesses to pay $549,673 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. Additionally, they must pay $75,655 in civil money penalties for the willful nature of the violations.
“The U.S. Department of Labor does not hesitate to pursue all actions, including litigation, to protect workers whose employers fail to fulfill their legal obligations,” said Regional Solicitor of Labor Jeffrey S. Rogoff in New York. “The department has zero tolerance for employers who choose to disregard federal wage requirements.”
The division’s Long Island District Office in Westbury conducted the investigation while trial attorneys Jason Glick and Jasmine Wade from the regional Office of the Solicitor litigated the case.
For more information about compliance with labor laws or if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division, individuals can contact the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The division offers assistance in more than 200 languages regardless of immigration status.
