SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal courtroom ordered the homeowners of 14 Subway areas north of San Francisco to pay staff practically $1 million in damages and again pay — and likewise to promote or shut their companies, with any sale proceeds going to the Division of Labor.
Federal investigators mentioned franchise homeowners John and Jessica Meza directed kids as younger as 14 to function harmful equipment, assigned minors work hours that violated federal legislation, and did not pay their staff commonly, together with by issuing a whole lot of unhealthy checks and illegally retaining ideas left by clients.
The Labor Division additionally charged that the Mezas coerced staff in an try to forestall them from cooperating with its investigation and that an affiliate, Hamza Ayesh, performed a task in these efforts, together with threatening an worker who complained about receiving a nasty examine.
The Mezas didn’t admit to threatening or coercing staff, in line with Arkady Itkin, their lawyer, who added that they did admit to issuing unhealthy checks and violating some labor requirements. He added that Ayesh didn’t admit to threatening an worker, however agreed to settle what Itkin referred to as a “he mentioned, she mentioned state of affairs” to place it to relaxation.
Itkin added that the Mezas are folks of modest means who’re most unlikely to have the ability to pay the sum agreed to within the courtroom order. “The settlement settlement would possibly make it appear to be they’re simply going to cough up 1,000,000 {dollars},” he mentioned. “It is not going to occur.”