Collegeville restaurant owes more than $268K for unpaid overtime wages and damages

A Collegeville restaurant withheld overtime pay from employees, committed child labor violations, and retaliated against staff that complained about overtime pay practices, according to an investigation from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The business, Aston CC LLC, which operates as Vincent’s Pizzeria & Grill at 500 Gravel Pike in Collegeville, has agreed to pay $268,660 in unpaid wages and damages, as the result of a settlement agreement.

“We will hold employers legally accountable when they fail to comply with federal laws that protect workers’ rights to their full wages and ensure young employees work during permitted hours in safe jobs,” said Samantha Thomas, acting regional solicitor of labor for the Labor Department.

Between Jan. 11, 2020, and Jan. 6, 2023, Vincent’s Pizzeria & Grill allegedly violated federal law by failing to pay its employees overtime. Kitchen workers were not paid overtime, while a cashier and a delivery driver received overtime pay in cash, but not the required amount in total, according to the investigation. The restaurant also failed to record the cash payments and hours worked by employees who were paid in cash, either partially or fully.

A total of 15 employees are owed back wages in amounts ranging from $111.94 to $19,776, according to a representative for the Labor Department.

Three employees who complained about the overtime pay practices were fired, and the restaurant will pay $9,000 in damages to that group of employees for the unlawful retaliation.

The investigation also revealed that three children at the restaurant were employed in tasks that are defined as hazardous for their age by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employees aged 15 and 17 used a meat slicer and a vertical dough mixer. One child under the age of 16 also worked more than 8 hours when school was not in session.

“Learning new skills in the workforce is an important part of growing up, but we must protect children and make sure their first jobs are safe and do not interfere with their education or well-being,” said James Cain, wage and hour division district director at the U.S. Department of Labor.

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Pennsylvania has seen a surge in child labor law violation investigations recently. Since January, the state’s Department of Labor and Industry has opened 403 investigations, compared to 107 cases during the same time last year.

Last month, a Norristown pizzeria that failed to pay workers overtime was also found to be in violation of child labor laws by employing children too young to be food delivery drivers.

In addition to the wages and damages owed to employees, Vincent’s Pizzeria & Grill in Collegeville has to pay a $9,323 fine for the child labor violations and a $6,657 fine for overtime pay violations.

The settlement agreement was filed on Oct. 19 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the company has 30 days from when it was entered to issue payment, according to court documents.

A representative for Vincent’s Pizzeria & Grill did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.