Westwood Car Wash Owners Owe Employees $325K: Department Of Labor

WESTWOOD, NJ — The owners of two Westwood car washes and an oil change shop regularly underpaid their employees, some of whom worked 70-hour weeks without any overtime pay, the United States Department of Labor announced Wednesday.

Investigators from the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Nanard Enterprises Inc., Oilube R We Inc., owners Bernard and Nancy Torraco and General Manager Anton Musto failed to pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, and did not pay overtime to employees who worked over 40 hours in a workweek, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In a complaint filed by the department, it was revealed that the company also kept "deficient records" for at least one business, and "routinely destroyed the evidence of their unlawful and pervasive pay practices at the other location."

Overtime hours were not honored for many employees at Westwood Car Wash, Old Hook Car Wash and 10-Minute Oil Lube, including for car washers, most of whom worked between 58 and 70 hours per week, according to the complaint.

In one example, a person employed as a car washer was paid a $9 per hour flat rate for 70 hours of work. Their paycheck for that week included no overtime pay, and totaled $630.

Other employees were paid under the federal minimum wage to complete similar work weeks, the complaint said.

Following the complaint, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark entered a consent judgment requiring Westwood Car Wash, Old Hook Car Wash and 10-Minute Oil Lube to pay $162,500 in back wages, plus an equal amount in liquidated damages, to 45 car wash and oil change technicians and cashiers.

The employers have also agreed to an injunction against future violations, the department said.

"This consent judgment ensures these workers are paid fairly and receive all of their hard-earned wages," said Regional Solicitor of Labor Jeffrey S. Rogoff in New York.

"Our litigation and the court’s action sends a clear signal to employers that shortchanging workers and violating the law to gain an unfair competitive advantage will not be tolerated."

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