BY WALTER ELLIOTT
NEWARK – State and federal labor authorities have cited several Local Talk area businesses – from a high profile Military Park restaurant to a Newark rack installer – for shortchanging their employees’ wages, hours and related compensation this year.
The US Dept. of Labor, on Aug. 23, announced that it has ordered Swahili Village Bar & Grill here to pay $168,770 in back wages, overtime and penalties for what it said was for shortchanging up to 84 employees for 13 months ending last June.
The NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development has meanwhile cited 20 businesses in “Local Talk” territory – from an Irvington day center to among 209 posted on its “WALL” list going back to last September.
The USDOL said that its May 2023-June 2024 investigation of Swahili Village found that it had violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Restaurant management, said the agency, had “failed to pay 84, servers, cooks and bussers overtime pay when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek.”
DOL said it had recovered $62,335 in back overtime wages and another $62,335 in “liquidated damages” for the 84 affected employees. The agency added $44,100 in “civil penalties for willful violations.”
Swahili Village President Kevin Onyona, on July 17, agreed to pay the Washington, DC Office of the Attorney General $526,973 on similar charges at its downtown district restaurant. The federal AG said that the eatery had failed to pay its 72 employees $260,000 in overtime and related wages last year.
It is not immediately known whether a similar circumstance was found in Swahili Village’s Maryland location. Swahili Village, featuring East African cuisine, opened its Newark location at 2 Center St. with a June 23, 2022 grand opening.
The restaurant has a streetfront location across NJPAC in One Theatre Square. One Theatre Square, a Dranoff development, was a 12-story tower built in 2018 on the former AAA of New Jersey office and Edison Parking lot. There are 24 of its 245 studio and one-bedroom luxury units set aside for affordable housing.
One Theatre Square is among several buildings that have been intended to go up around NJPAC since the latter’s 1997 opening. Ground had recently broken on the other Edison parking lot on Mulberry Street for a 24-story, 350-unit ArtSide tower. The nearby Cooperman Family Arts, Education and Communication Center is projected for a 2026-27 opening.
NJ DOL’s Office of Strategic Enforcement and Compliance has created a WALL – that businesses owners do not want to be on – since its Sept. 7 establishment. The Workplace Accountability in Labor List gives thumbnail descriptions of the businesses, what they were cited for, when the final judgement was and for how much in fines.
“Local Talk” hereby lists the cited parties, going by the state’s OSEC’s posting date and alphabetical order.:
Aug. 5: Pao Do Queijo Boco Do Forno, 329 Ferry St., Newark.
– Workers’ Compensation Law
Jan. 20, 2023 Final Judgement for $45,000.
Resende Construction, Inc., 93 Wilson Ave., Newark.
– Workers’ Compensation
June 12, 2023 for $45,000
USG Drywall and Construction, LLC, 239 Ridge St., Third Floor, Newark
– Workers’ Compensation
June 12, 2023 for $45,000
Vega Floors LLC, 15 Waverly Terr., Bloomfield and 96 Fleming ve., Newark.
– Workers Compensation.
Oct. 17, 2018 for $116,856.11
July 5: Loving Hearts Personal Care Service, Inc.,
10 Rodwell Ave., Irvington
15 Ricord St., Newark
244 Morris Ave., #214, Union
– Workers’ Compensation
June 12, 2023 for $45,000
Paul Gagliano T/A Gagliano & Associates, 9 James St. Bloomfield
– Unemployment Compensation
– Temporary Disability Benefits Law
– Compensation for Family Temporary Disability Leave Law
Aug. 22, 2012 for $50,266.50
June 5: Rtech Consulting LLC dba central career School
329 Winthrop Dr., Nutley
126 Corporate Blvd., So. Plainfield
4314 60th St., Apt. 4G, Woodside, Qns., NY
May 3: D&D Security Systems LP, 460 William St. First Floor, East Orange
- Workers’ Compensation
Nov. 15, 2016 for $45,000
April 5: North South Construction Corp., 188 Jefferson St., #345, Newark
– Unemployment Compensation
– Temporary Disability Benefits
– Compensation for Family Temporary Disability Leave
May 26, 2021 for $24,907.82
Pineda Rack Installation, Inc. 359 North 5th St., Newark
– Unemployment Compensation Law
– Temporary Disability Benefits
– Compensation for Family Temporary Disability Leave
May 26, 2021 for $36,300.55
Feb. 5: JW Contracting, 147 North Day St., Orange
– Workers’ Compensation
July 29, 2023 for $45,000
Jan. 5., 2024: All American Transportation, Inc.
10 Hill St., Apt. 9W, Newark
156 Elizabeth Ave., Newark
911 Bergen Ave., Ste. 4, Jersey City
– Unemployment Compensation
– Temporary Disability Benefits
– Compensation for Family Temporary Disability Leave
May 26, 2021 for $21,609.74
JLG Construction, 445 Central Ave., Apt. D16, Orange
– Unemployment Compensation
– Temporary Disability Benefits
– Compensation for Family Temporary Disability Leave
April 22, 2020 for $92,466.09
JTG Construction, 188 Jefferson St. Ste. 387, Newark
– Unemployment Compensation
– Temporary Disability Benefits
– Compensation for Family Temporary Disability Leave
March 1, 2023 for $69,662.14
Nov. 3, 2023 ColorGraphicsRUs Design & Printing Co., Inc.
341 Cortlandt St., Belleville
– Workers Compensation
June 18, 2020 for $45,000
EC Abatement Inc., 23 North 6th St., Newark
– The NJ Wage Payment Law
– The NJ State Wage and Hour Law
– The NJ Prevailing Wage Act
April 12, 2023 for $70,860.11
Oct. 5: Northeastern Professional Nurses Registry, Inc.
239 Freeway Dr. East, East Orange
– Unemployment Compensation
– Temporary Disability Benefits
– Compensation for Family Temporary Disability
June 16, 2021 for $38,268.41
Sept. 4 Cunha Construction, LLC, 31 Monroe St., Newark
– NJ Wage Payment Law
– State Wage and Hour Law
June 29, 2021 for $195,009.70
RIS Construction, 143 North Fullerton Ave., Montclair.
– Wage Payment Law
– Wage and Hour Law
– Prevailing Wage Act
Total Final Judgement: $59,194.11
