bklyn stores forced to pay back wages

The owners of two supermarkets in Bushwick, Brooklyn, agreed to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution to more than 50 employees to settle charges that the stores violated state wage laws, New York State’s attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, announced Wednesday.

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At both supermarkets, baggers had been paid no wages at all and had to rely solely on tips for income. In addition, delivery workers often worked 70-hour weeks but were not paid minimum wage or compensated for overtime. Many other supermarket employees also had worked in excess of
40 hours a week, but were not paid overtime wages.

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents supermarket workers, said in a statement: “We applaud the attorney general for standing up for these workers and bringing the employers to justice. Other employers should take note: if you violate the law, the sanctions will be severe.”

Andrew Friedman, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, a community organization active in Bushwick, said the settlement “serves to send a strong message to abusive employers that they violate the law at their own peril.”