An Orlando area bakery put unpaid child labor in danger, shorted workers $4,700 in pay
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Florida, food and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Unpaid or underpaid labor can seem as common in Florida restaurants and grocery stores as mahi-mahi.
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An Orlando area bakery let a child work a power-driven slicer, wasn’t paying the child and didn’t properly pay other workers overtime pay, the U.S. Department of Labor announced this week.
These Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations added up to Bread & Co. paying $14,685 — $9,979 in a civil money penalty and $4,706 in back wages and damages to 17 workers, $276 per worker.
A manager answering the number for Bread & Co. in Winter Park said the bakery has been reopened as a Tous Les Jours franchise. That address, 1230 W. Fairbanks Ave., is on the still-active state registration for Bread & Co., managed by Jung Moon.
Under any name, the FLSA violations found by Labor’s Wage and Hour Division investigators were numerous:
▪ A 13-year-old toiled as an unpaid volunteer. Also, while doing so, was allowed to work a power-driven bread slicer while under 18, a violation of Hazardous Occupation Order No. 11.
▪ Paid cooks and bakers straight time, even when they exceeded 40 hours in a workweek.
▪ Paid overtime only when employees exceeded 80 hours over two weeks.
“Bread & Co. used a minor as free labor and then exposed the child to a dangerous machine with the potential to cause serious injury in violation of federal law,” Wage and Hour Division District Office Director Wildalí De Jesús said. “Work can provide a valuable learning experience for young workers, but they must be paid properly and kept safe. The Wage and Hour Division welcomes questions or concerns from employers, parents, workers and teachers to ensure the well-being of young workers.”
The Wage and Hour complaint section of Labor’s website contains information on how to file a complaint if you believe your employer has violated FLSA. Miami’s Wage and Hour Division office can be reached at 305-598-6607. The national helpline is 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).
No matter a worker’s immigration or citizenship status, he or she can speak with the department, which says it can handle calls in more than 200 languages.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 2:06 PM.
