El Milagro committed “flagrant” violations of state labor law for allegedly denying employees proper meal breaks and has been referred to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, according to the Illinois Department of Labor.
In a notice of noncompliance dated March 23, the agency found the Chicago tortilla maker had violated the Illinois One Day Rest in Seven Act because employees regularly worked over 7.5 hours without required meal breaks. The Department of Labor found 112 meal break violations between Jan. 1 and July 31, 2021, and was fined $11,200 in total for those violations, according to the document.
The findings, which were released to the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request, come after workers at El Milagro filed a complaint with the Department of Labor in late October 2021.
“Because El Milagro has not paid these penalties or demonstrated that it has come in to compliance, this matter has been referred to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General for enforcement,” department spokesperson Paul Cicchini said in an email to the Tribune Wednesday.
Drew Hill, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office, said Wednesday the office had received the referral and would review it. “We do not have any further updates at this time,” Hill said.
In a statement, El Milagro spokesperson Alejandra Moran said the company had not yet received communication from the Attorney General’s office. She said should an action be filed based on “prior discussions with...
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