Paul Bass Photo
Elsankary: We’ll reopen by Thursday.
A state Department of Labor crackdown on New Haven food establishments continued with a “stop work” order issued to a Chapel Street restaurant.
The department issued the “stop work” order Monday to Chap’s Grille at 1174 Chapel St. It cited the store for allegedly paying its workers in cash without paying workmen’s compensation insurance, and for allegedly classifying workers falsely as independent contractors.
Chap’s owner Alex Elsankary (pictured) told the Independent Tuesday that he expects to reopen by Thursday morning “at the latest.”
“They’re going around New Haven. They have to make sure everyone’s covered,” Elsankary said. He said he “didn’t know” about the problem until the labor department cited him.
The department didn’t act on a tip. It was dropping in on New Haven businesses along with representatives from the state departments of revenue service and energy and environmental protection, looking for legal violations.
The investigation continues, according to Gary Pechie, the labor department’s director of wage and workplace standards. He said one employee was paid $50 for a day’s work. The department is trying to figure out how many hours he worked.
The labor department has been cracking down on violations of employees’ rights in New Haven. Last week it closed down J & B Deli on the same block of Chapel Street for allegedly failing to pay workers the minimum wage or overtime. The deli reopened Friday. The labor department fined the deli $1,000 for illegally opening for one day after receiving the stop work order, and ordered the deli to pay about $2,000 in back wages, according to Pechie.
Last month the owner of Gourmet Heaven on Broadway was arrested on charges including failure to pay wages, failure to pay overtime, exploitation of immigrant labor and larceny.
During Monday’s visits to local businesses, officials also discovered untaxed cigarettes for sale at Lucky Star Market at 1536 Chapel, according to Department of Revenue Services spokeswoman Sarah Kaufman. She said because the number of cigarettes fell below a 600-cigarette threshold, no one was arrested. Rather, the market was fined $136.
Local businesses should expect more surprise visits.
“We will continue our efforts in New Haven,” Pechie said, “so everybody’s playing by the rules.”
Connecticut + small business = misery
This is my favorite part -
"We will continue our efforts in New Haven," Pechie said, "so everybody's playing by the rules."
The rules in Connecticut are so complex and incomprehensible that only the well heeled 1% can afford the attorneys and accountants necessary for compliance. And they don't know the rules but they do know the judges. You will toil for months trying to find out what the rules are. And when you finally think you have the rules figured out they'll change them on you.
IMO - The CT Department of Labor can care less about someone getting fifty bucks for the day. All theatre. It plays to the emotional response about the plight of the under-payed worker when an under-payed small business owner is getting financially strangled by those same people with too much regulatory burden - taxes, fines, mandatory insurance, and then shutting you down for days.
This is about paying the middlemen with fines, taxes, insurance vigs, and all the rest to keep the boss and his armies paid.