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Boston Recording Studio Cited $400,000 for Failing to Pay Interns and Earned Sick Time Violations 

BOSTONA recording studio in Boston has been cited more than $400,000 in restitution and penalties over allegations that it failed to pay wages to more than 60 interns and failed to provide earned sick time to employees, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

The AG’s Fair Labor Division issued three citations against Bristol Studios, Inc., and its President, Ric Poulin, and Treasurer, Laura Poulin, for the company’s violation of minimum wage laws by failing to pay interns; failure to keep required wage and hour records; and failure to provide required notice of earned sick time to employees, track use of sick leave, or provide paid sick leave to employees, as required by the state’s Earned Sick Time Law.            

“My office works hard to ensure that employers are providing a safe and fair environment for workers, regardless of whether they’re interns or full-time employees,” said AG Healey. “Through this action, we are ordering the company to pay restitution to workers at this studio who are entitled to wages under the law.”    

The AG’s Office began an investigation into Bristol Studios after a former intern filed a complaint alleging he was owed wages for work performed during the course of his internship. Most people who work in Massachusetts, including those classified as “interns,” are considered employees and must be paid at least minimum wage for all the time that they work. The AG’s investigation determined that the company’s internship program was not exempt from minimum wage laws because “interns” rarely participated through an educational institution and they principally performed administrative, promotional, and cleaning duties which are ordinarily performed by paid employees. The work performed was largely inconsistent with a bona fide vocational training program, which requires that internships contain training that is for the benefit of the interns, does not displace regular employees, and that the training is similar to that of which would be given in a vocational school. 

Any workers who believe their rights have been violated in their workplace are encouraged to file a complaint at www.mass.gov/ago/wagetheft. For information about the state’s wage and hour laws, workers may call the Office’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or go to the Attorney General’s Workplace Rights website www.mass.gov/fairlabor for materials in multiple languages.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Kate Watkins and Investigator Huong Phan, both of the AG’s Fair Labor Division.

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