The investigators also found out that the employees were deprived of their overtime wages
A restaurant in California has been ordered to pay a total of $140,000 in back wages and damages to 35 employees by the US Department of Labor. According to a report by Fox News, the owner of the restaurant hired a "supposed" priest to have the employees confess their "workplace sins".
Che Garibaldi Inc., which operates the Taqueria Garibaldi Mexican restaurant in Sacramento has been fined after a thorough investigation by the Department of Labor. The federal investigators are calling "the most shameless" acts of corruption an employer has taken against its staff.
"Under oath, an employee of Taqueria Garibaldi explained how the restaurant offered a supposed priest to hear their workplace 'sins' while other employees reported that a manager falsely claimed that immigration issues would be raised by the department's investigation," said Regional Solicitor of Labor Marc Pilotin in the release.
"This employer's despicable attempts to retaliate against employees were intended to silence workers, obstruct an investigation and prevent the recovery of unpaid wages."
The owner hired the fake priest to hear confessions during work hours and "get the sins out", including asking them if they had been late for work, stolen money from the restaurant or had "bad intentions" toward their employer.
The investigators also found out that the employees were deprived of their overtime wages, which violates the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to the release.
"They also learned the employer paid managers from the employee tip pool illegally, threatened employees with retaliation and adverse immigration consequences for cooperating with the department, and fired one worker who they believed had complained to the department," the DOL said.
"The US Department of Labor and its Solicitor's Office will not tolerate workplace retaliation and will act swiftly to make clear that immigration status has no bearing on workers' rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act," Regional Solicitor of Labor Marc Pilotin said in the release.
Taqueria Garibaldi has agreed to pay out $70,000 in back wages, $70,000 in damages and $5,000 in civil penalties "due to the willful nature of their violations, Fox News report said.