Flatbush Car Wash Must Pay $530K In Back Wages, AG Says

FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — Flatbush car wash owners must pay more than $500,000 in wages and benefits the Attorney General says they unlawfully denied their workers.

Benno Gmuer, owner of Tropical Breeze Car Wash on Utica Avenue and Lenox Road, agreed to pay $530,000 for cheating more than 150 workers of their wages, Attorney General Letitia James announced Friday.

“Car wash workers do the dirty work of cleaning up New York’s vehicles, and they deserve every penny and protection afforded to them under the law,” said James.

“My office will continue to fight for these workers and hold unscrupulous employers accountable who exploit these workers for their own gain.”

The settlement concludes a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court by the Attorney General's office in January 2018 accusing Tropical Breeze of violating the city's labor, unemployment insurance and compensation laws as well as the Earned Sick Time Act, officials said.

The court found Gmuer — as well as managers Philip Gmuer and Gregory Gmuer — liable for violations in May, according to the Attorney General's office.