The owners of a California restaurant have to pay nearly $140,000 (CAN$184,000) in damages after trying to get an “alleged” priest to confess the “professional sins” of 35 employees.
An employee at Taqueria Garibaldi in Sacramento said the owners offered to get a briefing on “sins” in the workplace as part of a US Labor Department investigation.
According to the survey, using an alleged priest for workplace misconduct can be “among the most brazen forms” of retaliation.
The New York Post said the false religious interrogated employees about the theft of their boss or delays at work.
The employees also received no compensation 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 fired an employee who they believed had complained to the department,” the investigation said.
The operator of the facility, Che Garibaldi Inc., and the owners have therefore agreed to compensate their employees. They owe $70,000 in back wages, $70,000 in damages and $5,000 in civil penalties.