Current:Home > ScamsFeds penalize auto shop owner who dumped 91,000 greasy pennies in ex-worker's driveway-LoTradeCoin
Feds penalize auto shop owner who dumped 91,000 greasy pennies in ex-worker's driveway
View Date:2024-12-23 21:23:37
One boss got so angry after a former employee contacted government labor regulators about a missing paycheck that he delivered the money in the form of 91,000 greasy pennies dropped on the worker's driveway.
Now, the Labor Department has found that Miles Walker, the owner of A OK Walker Autoworks in Peachtree City, Georgia, retaliated against the worker by dumping the coins and by trashing the employee on the business' website, according to a recently concluded investigation.
According to legal filings, the drama started when Andreas Flaten, who had left his job at the auto shop in 2021, called the Labor Department to complain that he had never received his last paycheck. After the agency contacted the shop to inquire about the payment, Walker responded by delivering the payment in pennies.
Payback in pennies
Two months later, on March 12, 2021, Walker dumped the oil-covered pennies in Flaten's driveway, along with a pay statement with an expletive written on it. It's unknown how the owner delivered the greasy penny pile, which would weigh about 500 pounds.
According to the Labor Department, the auto shop also posted a statement on its website calling the penny dump "a gotcha to a subpar ex-employee" and suggesting he deserved it. "Let us just say that maybe he stole? Maybe he killed a dog? Maybe he killed a cat? Maybe he was lazy? Maybe he was a butcher? . . . know that no one would go to the trouble we did to make a point without being motivated," the posting read, according to the agency's complaint.
The posting has since been removed, although the shop's website now contains a disclaimer to disregard reviews written between March and July of 2021. "After the pennies issue went viral the kids in the basement fabricated tons of fake reviews," the shop said.
The Labor Department sued A OK Walker Autoworks, claiming that Walker and his business retaliated against Flaten, which is illegal under federal labor law. The agency also alleged that Walker broke overtime laws by not paying at least nine workers time-and-a-half for labor exceeding 40 hours in a week.
Back pay and damages
Under a consent judgment filed last week, the shop must pay $39,000 in back pay and damages to the workers who should've been paid overtime. The individual payouts range from $192 to $14,640. Flaten, who could not immediately be reached for comment, is in line to get $8,690.
The auto shop must permanently take down all written material about, and photos of, Flaten, according to the consent order. It must also post the order in a conspicuous place on its premises.
"By law, worker engagement with the U.S. Department of Labor is a protected activity. Workers should not fear harassment or intimidation in the workplace," Tremelle Howard, regional solicitor for the Department of Labor, said in a statement.
Reached for comment, Miles Walker said, "I have nothing to say to any reporter breathing today."
- In:
- United States Department of Labor
veryGood! (53427)
Related
- Jason Statham Shares Rare Family Photos of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Their Kids on Vacation
- Bruce Willis and Emma Heming celebrate 15-year wedding anniversary: 'Stronger than ever'
- Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara ejected early for flagrant-2 foul vs. Yale
- Elevate Your Spring Wardrobe For Less With These Can't-Miss Fashion Deals From Amazon's Big Spring Sale
- World War II veteran reflects on life as he turns 100
- Mega Millions jackpot approaching $1 billion: 5 prior times lottery game has made billionaires
- We Found the 24 Best Travel Deals From Amazon's Big Spring Sale 2024: 57% off Luggage & More
- Chrishell Stause & Paige DeSorbo Use These Teeth Whitening Strips: Save 35% During Amazon’s Big Sale
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Water beads pose huge safety risk for kids, CPSC says, after 7,000 ER injuries reported
Ranking
- Joey Logano wins Phoenix finale for 3rd NASCAR Cup championship in 1-2 finish for Team Penske
- Is there a winner of the $977M Mega Millions jackpot? Numbers have been drawn and it’s time to wait
- Memorial at site of deadliest landslide in US history opens on 10th anniversary
- Water beads pose huge safety risk for kids, CPSC says, after 7,000 ER injuries reported
- Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
- Plan to recover holy grail of shipwrecks holding billions of dollars in treasure is approved over 3 centuries after ship sank
- 4 children, father killed in Jeannette, Pa house fire, mother, 2 other children rescued
- Prosecutors charge a South Carolina man with carjacking and the killing of a New Mexico officer
Recommendation
-
Craig Melvin replacing Hoda Kotb as 'Today' show co-anchor with Savannah Guthrie
-
Compass agrees to pay $57.5 million, make policy changes to settle real estate commission lawsuits
-
Metal detectorist looking for World War II relics instead finds medieval papal artifact
-
Who is Princess Kate? Age, family, what to know about Princess of Wales amid cancer news
-
Some women are stockpiling Plan B and abortion pills. Here's what experts have to say.
-
Polyamory is attracting more and more practitioners. Why? | The Excerpt
-
South Africa water crisis sees taps run dry across Johannesburg
-
Bella Hadid, Erehwon, TikTok influencers are using sea moss. Is it actually good for you?