Every day across the south workers are killed on the job, stolen from, discriminated against, or sexually harassed. Sometimes the employers are caught. These are some of last week’s stories.
Texas Thieves
The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $63,645 for eight workers after an investigation found an area restaurant violated federal wage and hour laws.
The department’s Wage and Hour Division found that El Beto’s Tacos LLC – doing business as Beto’s Restaurant and Bar – failed to pay for overtime hours worked and illegally deducted wages from tipped employees, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Division investigators determined that on average, employees worked over eight overtime hours weekly, but Beto’s did not pay them the required overtime premium of time-and-one-half per hour. Additionally, the employer did not compensate workers for duties performed after completion of their shifts. The division also found that the employer deducted uniform expenses from the wages of tipped employees, resulting in the workers being paid less than the minimum wage for all hours worked.
South Carolina Discriminators
Florence CK, LLC, a Comfort Keepers franchisee providing in-home caregiving in Florence, SC agreed to pay $324,200 and furnish other relief to resolve a discrimination charge filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.
In its charge investigation, the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe that the company, which provides services across South Carolina, discriminated against a new employee attending orientation in November 2023, violating four different federal anti-discrimination laws.
During orientation, the employee notified Comfort Keepers of her pregnancy and the company instructed her to obtain medical clearance. The EEOC found reasonable cause to believe that when the employee then notified the company of a pregnancy-related limitation, the company failed to accommodate and eventually fired her although the employee could perform the essential functions of the position with or without a reasonable accommodation.
The EEOC investigation found reasonable cause to believe that the company violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act by requiring an unlawful medical exam, failing to accommodate and firing the new employee. The investigation also found reasonable cause to believe that the company’s statewide hiring practice of requiring disclosure of family medical information violated the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).
During the pre-litigation conciliation process, the company agreed to provide monetary relief totaling $324,000 to the affected employee and more than 1,000 former and current candidates and employees. Florence CK will also provide anti-discrimination training for all human resources personnel, managers and decisionmakers, and post EEOC notices, including a notice regarding the resolution of this matter, in conspicuous places. The EEOC will monitor compliance with the agreement for two and a half years.
Florida Killers
The U.S. Department of Labor cited a Florida roofing employer for willfully exposing employees to safety hazards after an employee suffered fatal injuries and another was seriously injured when falling from a two-story residence.
The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators found that on Sept. 24, 2025, two workers from Max Home Services LLC – operating as Pasat Roofing and Solar Energy – were installing tarp when they slipped from the roof into an empty pool. One employee suffered fatal injuries and another sustained serious injuries. The agency cited the employer for willfully allowing both employees to work without personal fall protection at heights of over 20 feet.
The employer also failed to adequately train employees to recognize fall hazards and did not implement a hazard communication program for workers using hazardous chemicals.
The agency cited the employer with one willful and two serious violations and proposed $172,324 in penalties.