The owners of a California restaurant will have to pay nearly US$140,000 (CA$184,000) in damages after they tried to ask an “alleged” priest to confess the “professional sins” of 35 employees.
An employee of Taqueria Garibaldi in Sacramento said the owners had offered to hear about “sins” that took place in the workplace during a US Department of Labor investigation.
According to the survey, the use of an alleged priest for misconduct in the workplace “can be among the most brazen forms” of retaliation.
The false religious would have interrogated the employees in particular on the theft of their boss or the delays to work, indicated the New York Post.
The employees would also not have received pay for their overtime.
“They also learned that the employer illegally paid managers from the employee tip pool, threatened employees with retaliation and negative immigration consequences if they cooperated with the department, and terminated a worker who they believed complained to the department,” the investigation noted.
The operator of the establishment, Che Garibaldi Inc., as well as the owners have therefore agreed to compensate their employees. They will owe US$70,000 in back wages, US$70,000 in damages and US$5,000 in civil penalties.