A Michigan court has ordered Carnival Market Inc., a supermarket and restaurant in Pontiac, to pay $192,500 for wage theft. The company was found guilty of not paying overtime to workers and punishing employees who complained about it, according to a report by the Department of Labor.
A federal investigation revealed that Jason and Chris Aviar, owners of a market, underpaid employees and retaliated against those who challenged the wage violations, even demanding kickbacks from workers. After a previous investigation uncovered similar issues from October 2018 to September 2020, the owners agreed to pay back unpaid overtime but later coerced five employees to return those back wages under threat. This led to further legal consequences, including financial penalties. "The U.S. Department of Labor will not allow employers to retaliate against workers in an effort to prevent their cooperation with federal investigations," said Regional Solicitor of Labor Christine Z. Heri, as reported by the Department of Labor.
A Wage and Hour Division investigation found that Carnival Market continued to violate labor laws from January 2021 to January 2023, paying non-exempt bakery workers a fixed salary without overtime. "Wage theft is a common problem, especially for low-wage workers who may be afraid to question their employers’ pay practices or to share their concerns with authorities," said District Director Timolin Mitchell. The company must repay workers, undergo an audit, train management on labor laws, display workers' rights information, and keep payroll records for at least two years. Workers with pay concerns can call the Wage and Hour Division helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) for anonymous help in over 200 languages, as stated by the Department of Labor.
