Bergen Café Owner To Pay Back $111k In Stolen Wages: State

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ – More than three dozen food service workers will receive nearly $111,000 in back pay following a state investigation into wage violations, according to authorities.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Wage & Hour Compliance launched its investigation after an employee filed a complaint against their employer, Secaucus-based Thyme Food Services, LLC, authorities said in a press release on Wednesday.

The business operates Berry Creek Café, a deli cafe, in Moonachie, Secaucus and Edison.

The Division of Wage & Hour Compliance found that 42 employees at the three locations were not receiving overtime for working more than 40 hours per week and some who were paid a portion of their wages off the books, authorities said.

The state also said a self-audit by the company showed it owed $110,603,38 to underpaid workers, ranging from a high of $18,898,34 to a low of $15.

“When New Jersey workers are denied overtime or paid off the books, they are deprived of fair wages. Our society improves when employers play by the rules, and treat every employee fairly,” Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said in a statement.