LYNDHURST, NJ – A Lyndhurst staffing agency was ordered to pay $65,000 in damages to an employee who was fired after raising concerns about not getting paid for all hours worked, the U.S. Department of Labor said.
Advantix Logistics Corp. fired the employee in February 2022, because he complained to his supervisor that he was not paid for all hours worked, the Labor Department said.
Advantix, the department added, continued to threaten the worker when he asked why his final paycheck did not include all wages earned, and tried to stop workers from cooperating with the investigation of the company's pay practices. These actions violated the Fair Labor Standard Act's anti-retaliation and investigatory provisions.
A consent judgment from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey requires Advantix to pay the employee damages and forbids the company from taking future retaliatory actions in violation of the labor law. The judgement comes after a lawsuit filed by the department, and a temporary restraining order in April 2022.
“Federal law protects workers’ rights to come forward and make a complaint when employers deny them their hard-earned wages and prevents employers from retaliating or intimidating those who raise concerns,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Paula Ruffin in Mountainside, New Jersey, said. “The Wage and Hour Division will vigorously investigate complaints of improper pay practices or illegal retaliation by employers and enforce the law.”
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