NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a federal court order preventing a Long Island restaurant and its chef/owner from violating federal law by employing young workers at night later than law permits and from obstructing an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division.
The department filed suit against Caribbean Island Restaurant and Bar LLC and Bibi Zalena Bethune in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on July 11, 2022, after division investigators visited the Freeport, New York restaurant at approximately 10:15 p.m. on a Sunday evening. The complaint includes investigators’ observations of four apparent minors, including a 14-year-old who was working later than the law allows, cleaning tables, serving hookahs and removing empty beer bottles from tables.
The Fair Labor Standards Act’s child labor provisions limit employment of 14- and 15-year old workers to between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day, and no later than 7 p.m. the rest of the year.
The complaint also alleges that Bethune obstructed the division’s investigation by refusing to provide its investigators with information, instructing minor employees not to speak with investigators and physically preventing an adult employee from speaking with them.
“To continue its investigation and determine if this employer is following the law, the Wage and Hour Division must be able to interview employees and employers and gather information freely. Obstructing an...
; ; ; agreed to pay $17.07 million to settle federal allegations of illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices on Friday, marking the Justice Department's first resolution unde...