Boise restaurant management company agrees to pay fine, back wages

A Boise restaurant management company has agreed to pay $43,956 in back wages to 207 employees and a $37,000 civil fine for child labor law violations after an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department. The agency’s wage and hour division claims that Casey’s Management in Boise violated overtime, minimum wage and recordkeeping requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act as well as child labor laws.

The company let children younger than 16 operate and clean unsafe deep fat fryers and transport hot oil, the department said in a press release. The agency also says those employees worked outside allowable hours.

Casey’s is headquartered in Boise and owns five companies that operate eight establishments, including two Café Ole restaurants in Boise; two Golden Corral locations in Twin Falls and Pocatello; and four Wendy’s in Twin Falls, Burley, Jerome and Elko, Nev.

The workers were front counter cashiers, wait staff and non-exempt assistant managers. The investigation covered the period from Dec. 7, 2004, to Dec. 6, 2006.

Under the FLSA, employers are required to pay the federal minimum wage, currently $5.85 per hour, plus overtime rates of at least time-and-a-half. Companies must also maintain complete, accurate records of hours, pay and deductions.

Casey’s had objected to civil penalties for the child labor law violations but finally agreed to a $37,000 fine, the press release says.

“This action reflects the department's commitment to protect minimum wage and overtime rights of workers, especially these low wage workers for whom legal payment of wages is so important,” George Friday Jr., regional administrator for the wage and hour division’s western region, said in the press release.