Worker fired, threatened by Advantix Logistics Corp. after questioning wages
LYNDHURST, NJ – The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has ordered a northern New Jersey staffing agency to pay $65,000 in damages to an employee fired after they raised concerns about not getting paid for all of their hours worked.
The court’s action follows an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division that alleged 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 division also found that Advantix continued to threaten the worker when they asked why their 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 Standards Act’s anti-retaliation and investigatory provisions.
Today’s consent judgment requires Advantix Logistics Corp. to pay the employee damages and forbids them from taking any future retaliatory actions in violation of the FLSA. The judgment comes after a lawsuit filed by the department’s Office of the Solicitor, and a temporary restraining order in April of 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,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Paula...
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