“Despite the prohibited conduct of the restaurant’s general manager and the franchise’s district manager, the Wage and Hour Division will not be stopped from completing its investigation.” “The demeanor and actions of the district manager for this Popeyes franchisee in Harrisburg raised concerns among our investigators about their physical safety, and the workers there must have felt threatened and were likely afraid to lose their jobs if they spoke to our investigators,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Alfonso Gristina in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. A few weeks earlier, on March 14, 2023, investigators saw employees working at the restaurant and asked to conduct interviews, but the general manager claimed the employees had gone home sick. This scene was not the first time the restaurant’s management tried to stop the department from speaking with the restaurant’s workers. While standing between the employees and the investigators, Rudzenski made it clear, through his words and demeanor, that he did not want the employees to speak to the investigators. Then, after a closed-door meeting in the kitchen with employees, Rudzenski stood in the doorway between employees in the kitchen and investigators in the public area. Once Rudzenski arrived, the district manager cursed loudly at investigators, acted aggressively and then slammed the kitchen door numerous times with such force it was felt throughout the building. While they waited for his arrival, the general manager made sure employees stayed in the back of the kitchen area to prevent them from having an opportunity to speak with investigators. In its complaint, the department alleged that on April 5, 2023, the restaurant’s general manager contacted the company’s district manager, Tom Rudzenski, to come to the establishment immediately after division investigators arrived. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania comes during the division’s probe into possible Fair Labor Standards Act violations by Jonestown Rd Chicken LLC, owner of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at 4601 Jonestown Road in Harrisburg. Department of Labor’s request to enjoin and restrain the owner of a Popeyes franchise restaurant in Harrisburg and its district manager from threatening workers, harassing federal investigators, and otherwise obstructing an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division. HARRISBURG, PA – A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction in response to the U.S. Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS).Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).Ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOMBD).Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP).Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO).Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP). Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM).Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA).Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ).Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
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