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24 ¦ APRIL 12, 2021 NEWS

2 Connecticut Restaurants Draw Department
of Labor Ire for Punishing Employees

By Robert Storace

U.S. Department of Labor offices in Boston. Photo: Google

AU.S. Department of Labor investigation minimum wages. A good defense lawyer who rep-
into two Connecticut restaurants accused resents a business will tell their client to advise
of coercing employees to kick back thou- their employees that they have the right to par-
sands of dollars in back wages has a lesson for ticipate in a Department of Labor investigation,
employment attorneys on representing businesses and that they can’t take steps to punish them for
and workers, experts say. any of it.”
Hartford employment attorney Thomas Dur- For attorneys who represent workers, Durkin
kin, who has represented workers at several res- said those workers should “be willing to consult
taurants in cases against their employers, said with a lawyer and determine ways to stand up for
charges in the complaint the Labor Department your rights. The law is there to protect them.”
leveled against the restaurants “are pretty egre- The Boston office of the Labor Department laid
gious. I haven’t seen many cases with allegations out allegations against the owners of the now-
like this.” closed Chubby’s in Bridgeport and the temporar-
Durkin of Hayber, McKenna & Dinsmore said ily closed Ole Dog Tavern in Stratford.
Thursday the takeaway for employment attorneys The agency said after the two owners were re-
representing businesses such as restaurants is quired to pay a total of $137,465 in back wages
this: “The U.S. Department of Labor will step into and liquidated damages to workers for violating
investigate claims of unpaid overtime and unpaid rules related to the minimum wage, those very

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