Crime & Safety

Cherry Hill Gas Station Part Of $2 Million Wage Settlement: Cops

The back wages and damages were paid to 87 attendants since January of 2017.

CHERRY HILL, NJ — A Citgo gas station in Cherry Hill is one of 25 gas stations in South Jersey in which 87 attendants have been paid a total of $2,079,596 in back wages and liquidated damages, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced this week. Payments have been made since January of 2017.

The Cherry Hill Citgo is located at 1510 Route 38 in Cherry Hill. It was also part of a $1,471,024 settlement with the owner of six South Jersey gas stations, paid to 24 attendants, last year.

This payment resolves violations found during a series of investigations by the WHD. WHD investigators found that the gas station owners violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to pay attendants the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, and failing to pay overtime wages to employees when they worked more than 40 hours in a week, authorities said.

Find out what's happening in Cherry Hillfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The owners also failed to accurately maintain accurate time and payroll records, as required by law. In fact, one owner of six South Jersey gas stations was ordered to pay $1,471,024 in back wages and damages to 24 gas station attendants to resolve violations, authorities said.

“The Wage and Hour Division works to ensure that employees receive the wages they have rightfully earned,” WHD South Jersey District Office Director Charlene Rachor said. “The Department of Labor will continue to monitor New Jersey’s gas station industry for compliance, and we encourage all employers to reach out to us for guidance. We offer many resources to provide employers the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with the law.”

Find out what's happening in Cherry Hillfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

New Jersey is the only state in which drivers aren’t allowed by law to pump their own gas. Gas stations in New Jersey employ full-service gas station attendants to operate gas pumps and provide related customer services.The following gas stations were also involved in the settlement:

- Citgo, 400 NJ-38 in Maple Shade;
- Citgo, 2006 Mount Holly Road in Burlington;
- Citgo, 469 S. Lenola Road in Moorestown;
- Citgo, 102 Washington Crossing Road in Pennington;
- Citgo – Pitman, 690 Delsea Drive in Pitman;
- Gasco Yardville – 4364 S. Broad St. in Trenton;
- Gasco Greenwood – 1761 Greenwood Ave. in Trenton;
- Gasco Tri Star – 1685 Nottingham Way in Trenton;
- Gasco Chambers – 1140 Chambers St. in Trenton;
- Gasco West Creek – 439 Route 9 in West Creek;
- Gasco Lambertville – 32 S. Franklin St. in Lambertville;
- Gasco Southampton – 2344 Route 206 in Vincentown;
- Gasco Barnegat – 282 Route 72 in Barnegat;
- Gasco Morrisville – 999 West Trenton Ave. in Morrisville, PA;
- Lukoil, 2225 Admiral Wilson Blvd. in Merchantville;
- USA Gas, 206 Hanover St. in Pemberton;
- USA Gas, 106 W. Main St. in Maple Shade;
- USA Gas, 402 Landis Ave. in Vineland;
- USA Gas, 3970 N. Delsea Drive in Newfield;
- USA Gas, 47 Chestnut St. in Elmer;
- USA Gas - Mt. Holly – 2523 Route 206 in Mt. Holly;
- Valero, 554 River Road in Fair Haven;
- Valero, 65 N. Blackhorse Pike in Bellmawr; and
- Xtra Power Gas, 1 E Evesham Road in Voorhees.

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Division, contact its toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at http://www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool for those who think they may be owed back wages collected by the Division.

Image via Shutterstock

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