Tropical Smoothie Café’s payroll practices also resulted in minimum wage, overtime violations

TAMPA, FL – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found two operators of Tampa-area Tropical Smoothie Café franchise locations failed to pay workers their full wages, allowed minor-aged employees to work more hours than the law allows when school is in session, and permitted some minors to illegally load a trash compactor.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division found JAB Adventures Inc. – operator of eight Tampa-area franchise locations – deducted money from workers’ paychecks for uniforms and cash register shortages, which caused their average hourly rates to fall below the federal minimum wage. The employer also paid some employees straight-time rates for overtime hours worked and failed to pay other employees for all hours worked, resulting in federal minimum wage and overtime violations. The division recovered $6,520 in back wages and liquidated damages for 56 workers.

The division also found JAB Adventures allowed eleven 14- and 15-year-old employees to work more than 18 hours during a school week, before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on a school day and more than 40 hours during non-school weeks, all violations of the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In addition, the employer allowed workers under age 18 to load a trash compactor while the keys were inserted and the machine was in the “on” status, also a violation of federal child labor regulations...

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