CINCINNATI — Two Mio's Pizza locations have been fined by the U.S. Department of Labor after an investigation found the owners violated multiple provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to a press release from the Labor Department, Mio's Loveland and Mariemont locations, owned at the time of the violations by Dan and Leslie Igo, violated regulations tied to child labor, overtime and recordkeeping.
The violations happened in May of 2022, according to the Labor Department.
At the Mariemont location, operated at the time by Stuff It LLC, investigators found that 12 children under the age of 16 were allowed to illegally use manual fryers, gas ovens with an open flame, a mechanical dough puller and sheeter and were permitted to move pizza in and out of a conveyor oven.
Additionally, 16 minors working at the location worked more than the amount of hours allowed, according to the press release.
"Fourteen- and 15- year-olds may be employed in food preparation, but they may not perform any baking activities and only limited cooking tasks," reads the Federal Child Labor Provisions of Fair Labor Standards Act. "There are also restrictions on the number of hours and times of day that these minors may be employed."
A manager at the Mariemont location was also illegally denied overtime wages, according to the press release. The Labor Department said the owners of the Mio's paid the manager a weekly salary of $584 and improperly claimed they were a salaried employee who was exempt from overtime pay. The minimum amount an employer can pay a manager for them to be exempt from overtime pay is $684 per week, according to the Labor Department.
The Loveland location, operated at the time by Black Cat Pizzeria Inc., were found by investigators to be in violation of similar regulations. Nine children under the age of 16 were permitted to perform the same cooking operations found to violate regulations at the Mariemont location.
In addition, 20 minors working at the Loveland location worked more hours than legally permitted, according to the press release.
A manager working at the Loveland location was also denied overtime wages as a result of the same incorrect exemption claimed at the Mariemont location.
Both locations failed to keep accurate records, according to the press release.
The Labor Department said it recovered $11,950 in back overtime wages for the two managers.
Ultimately, the two locations were fined $30,000 in civil penalties for the violations.
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