Megan Wyatt

mbwyatt@theadvertiser.com

Three Cajun food retailers — Don's Specialty Meats, The Best Stop Supermarket and Romero's Grocery — have been ordered to pay more than $586,000 for labor law violations.

The news comes just nine months after another Cajun food business, Billy's Boudin & Cracklins, was ordered to pay more than $130,000 in back wages and penalties.

Investigators with the U.S. Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division recently found that Don's, The Best Stop and Romero's owed more than $571,000 to employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The businesses face another $14,746 in penalties for willfully violating the law, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Here's a breakdown by business of what is owed:

Don’s Specialty Meats: Will pay $480,313 in back wages and liquidated damages to 133 workers.

Will pay $480,313 in back wages and liquidated damages to 133 workers. The Best Stop Supermarket: Has paid $56,386 in back wages and liquidated damages to 36 workers. The employer was also assessed $10,819 in civil money penalties for willful violations.

Has paid $56,386 in back wages and liquidated damages to 36 workers. The employer was also assessed $10,819 in civil money penalties for willful violations. Romero’s Grocery: Has paid $35,053 in back wages and liquidated damages to 33 workers. The employer was also assessed $3,927 in civil money penalties for willful violations.

BACKGROUND: Scott boudin biz owes $138,000 in back wages, penalties

The Cajun food retailers violated labor law by:

Failing to pay workers for all hours they worked, including 15 minutes spent before and after scheduled shifts counting cash drawers.

Deducting wages from workers’ pay illegally for cash register shortages which effectively brought their wages below the required federal minimum wage.

Paying straight time rates, in cash “off the books,” for overtime hours worked.

The Department of Labor would not disclose what prompted the investigations or disclose if other Cajun food markets are currently under investigation.

Many investigations begin with anonymous complaints, but sometimes a group of businesses in a region will be examined, according to Juan J. Rodriguez, who works in the Department of Labor's public affairs office in Dallas.

"In addition to complaints, the Wage and Hour Division selects certain types of businesses or industries for investigation," Rodriguez wrote in an email to The Advertiser. "The division focuses its enforcement efforts on low-wage industries, for example, because of high rates of violations or egregious violations, the employment of vulnerable workers, or rapid changes in an industry such as growth or decline. Occasionally, a number of businesses in a specific geographic area will be examined."

Romero's Grocery co-owner Kenny Suire said he had to sell off investments to pay what he owed.

"Our business is very slow with the economy," Suire said. "I didn't have the money here, and none of my employees felt that I owed them anything. Every one of them said they didn't want the check because they're paid fairly, but they had to take it by law."

Romero’s Grocery, operating as SHYY Inc., disguised wage payments as “reimbursements” to employees to avoid paying overtime and provided federal investigators with falsified time records to falsely show they had paid workers as required by federal law, according to the press release.

Suire said he asked his employees to arrive 15 minutes early before clocking in so they wouldn't be rushed. Because he paid for employee breaks, Suire figured "it paid for itself."

"None of these businesses around — including us — are out there to take away from employees," Suire said. "We all do what's best for our employees while doing what's best for ourselves too. I know we all learned from this. We don't want the public to think we're not paying people. We pay our employees right. We didn't do it legally, but we paid them."

RELATED: Don's owner 'overwhelmed' by fire, community response

Investigators determined that the violations committed by The Best Stop and Romero’s Grocery were willful, prompting them to extend the period of time covered by the investigation.

Don’s Specialty Meats made illegal pre-employment arrangements with workers to only pay for a specified number of hours on payroll checks and to pay for the remainder of their hours in cash, all at the workers’ regular hourly rates, even if overtime was worked, according to the press release.

Don's owner Mark "Aubrey" Cole declined to comment for the story.

Calls made to The Best Stop were not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.

In addition to paying back wages, liquidated damages and penalties, all three employers entered into enhanced compliance agreements with the department to resolve the investigations.

They agreed to provide annual training for managers on complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act, and to provide FLSA handy reference guides to employees at the time of hire, among other terms.

Don's owner 'overwhelmed' by fire, community response

Scott boudin biz owes $138,000 in back wages, penalties