We have all had a foul boss or two, however California restaurateur Eduardo Hernandez’s actions towards his workers are on an entire different degree. A lot so, in reality, that even the Division of Labor was shocked at how brazen he was. Now, his stunt is costing him practically $150,000.
A restaurant proprietor was fined after hiring a ‘priest’ and making employees confess to rule violations and different ‘office sins’.
Hernandez is the operator of a small chain of eating places known as Taqueria Garibaldi within the Sacramento, California space. Again in 2021, he made a most unorthodox transfer for a boss—he employed a Catholic priest to come back into the eating places and carry out confession for his workers.
A handful of the restaurant’s Catholic workers took him up on the supply. However as quickly as their confession periods bought underway, issues went actual sideways, actual quick.
One worker, Maria Parra, stated in a sworn affidavit that she “discovered the dialog to be unusual and in contrast to regular confessions” and shortly turned to a collection of questions she was instructed have been designed to “get the sins out of me.”
The “priest” was really an impersonator the restaurant proprietor employed to intimidate his workers due to an ongoing wage theft investigation.
In line with the Sacramento Diocese, native Catholic officers haven’t any document of the supposed priest who confirmed as much as Taqueria Garibaldi really being a priest. “Our personal investigation discovered no proof of any connection between the Diocese of Sacramento and the alleged priest on this matter,” Diocese spokesman Bryan J. Visitacion has stated.
This has sparked suspicions that the priest was really simply somebody Hernandez employed to impersonate a clergyman. A number of workers took Hernandez up on the supply to go to confession with the allegedly faux priest, and a few have stated they felt it was a really clear intimidation tactic towards them by their boss.
Parra reported that she was not solely requested about her driving document and drug and alcohol use but in addition a number of main questions on her conduct at work. “The priest requested if I had stolen something at work, if I used to be late to my employment, if I did something to hurt my employer, and if I had any intention in direction of my employment.”
The restaurant proprietor was below investigation for stealing workers’ ideas and likewise threatened workers with deportation in the event that they spoke up.
Hernandez and Taqueria Garibaldi have been being investigated by the US Division of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division for allegedly withholding ideas, paying them to administration as a substitute of service workers, and refusing to pay extra time to its workers.
Throughout its investigation, the Division of Labor says workers additionally reported that Hernandez and the corporate had threatened workers, saying they’d flip them in to immigration officers in the event that they cooperated with the investigation. “This employer’s despicable makes an attempt to retaliate towards workers have been meant to silence employees, hinder an investigation and stop the restoration of unpaid wages,” stated Division of Labor solicitor Marc Pilotin.
The Division’s investigator Raquel Alfaro stated that after talking with workers she felt assured the priest stunt was one other additional intimidation tactic towards workers, considered one of whom was fired for complaining to the Division concerning the scenario.
If this all appears totally insane to you, you are not alone—the story has shocked individuals on-line, lots of whom have expressed disbelief at Hernandez’s brazenness.
Picture: Twitter
Even the Division of Labor, who you’d assume has seen all of it on the subject of crooked bosses, agrees with that summation. In its new launch concerning the penalties levied towards Hernandez, the Division of Labor stated that even for them, this was a brand new low.
“Federal wage and hour investigators have seen corrupt employers attempt all types of scams to shortchange employees and to intimidate or retaliate towards workers,” the Division wrote, “however a northern California restaurant’s try to make use of an alleged priest to get workers to confess office ‘sins’ could also be among the many most shameless.”
Picture: Reddit
Maybe unsurprisingly, the Division has been unsympathetic to Hernandez and the opposite homeowners of Taqueria Garibaldi. It has ordered him and the corporate to pay $70,000 in withheld ideas and wages to 35 workers, together with one other $70,000 in damages. It has additionally levied a $5,000 effective payable to the Division of Labor itself as a result of “willful nature of their violations.”
All this to keep away from correctly paying your workers their ideas and extra time? Hope it was price it!
John Sundholm is a information and leisure author who covers popular culture, social justice and human curiosity matters.
