Employees of Atlantic Beach club file suit claiming they weren't paid minimum wage, overtime
Catalina Beach Club on Tuesday in Atlantic Beach. Former employees have sued the club, claiming they were not paid minimum wage or overtime. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Employees of Catalina Beach Club in Atlantic Beach were paid illegally low wages and failed to receive state-mandated overtime, according to a lawsuit.
The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status and was filed last month in state Supreme Court in Nassau County, contends that dozens of staffers at the tony beach club, many under the age of 18, were paid less than the minimum wage and often not paid for the hours they worked as cabana and bathroom attendants, lifeguards and maintenance workers.
"New York labor laws serve a critical purpose... and it applies to young people and to older people," said Patricia Kakalec, the plaintiff's Brooklyn-based attorney. "And it's important to see compliance across a whole range of businesses in the state."
Reached by phone Tuesday, a Catalina manager said he had "no comment" and hung up on a Newsday reporter.
Attorneys for the beach club, which records show was served suit papers on Aug. 10, have yet to formally respond to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ethan, Jesse and Alex Cohen, three siblings from Lynbrook, at least one of whom has worked summers at the private beach club between 2015 and 2022, records show. Ethan Cohen, who worked as a cabana attendant, and his two sisters, who worked as lifeguards, are not currently employed at Catalina.
More than 70 other current and former Catalina workers could also sign onto the suit, the document states.
As a cabana attendant and later a "head cabana boy," Ethan Cohen often worked more than 40 hours per week and in excess of 10 hours daily, the suit states. But management of the club, the lawsuit states, paid Cohen less than the minimum wage, ranging from $8.65 per hour to $10 per hour, with an additional hourly tip credit of $3.20.
Minimum wage has ranged from $8.75 an hour in 2015 to the current wage of $15 starting in Jan. 1, 2019.
In addition, some employees were expected to arrive as early as 6 a.m. on weekends to prepare for their 9 a.m. shifts but were not paid for those hours, nor were they compensated for attending mandatory staff meetings, the suit states. Employees were also not paid overtime when working more than 40 hours per week or didn't get extra pay when working more than 10 hours per day, as required by state labor law, the suit said.
Some workers were also not paid for "call-in" time — when they arrived at work but were sent home because of inclement weather — nor were they provided with pay statements indicating the hours they worked, Kakalec said.
"Defendant knew that their failure to pay plaintiffs, the other attendants, and the other manual workers was prohibited by New York labor law," the lawsuit states.
Catalina is one of several beach clubs on Nassau's barrier island. Prices for a locker at the 79-year-old two-acre oceanfront beach club, which has been featured in the film "Goodfellas" and the television program "Royal Pains," start at around $3,200 with high-end cabanas topping out at over $20,000 for the summer.
Employees of Catalina Beach Club in Atlantic Beach were paid illegally low wages and failed to receive state-mandated overtime, according to a lawsuit.
The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status and was filed last month in state Supreme Court in Nassau County, contends that dozens of staffers at the tony beach club, many under the age of 18, were paid less than the minimum wage and often not paid for the hours they worked as cabana and bathroom attendants, lifeguards and maintenance workers.
"New York labor laws serve a critical purpose... and it applies to young people and to older people," said Patricia Kakalec, the plaintiff's Brooklyn-based attorney. "And it's important to see compliance across a whole range of businesses in the state."
Reached by phone Tuesday, a Catalina manager said he had "no comment" and hung up on a Newsday reporter.
Attorneys for the beach club, which records show was served suit papers on Aug. 10, have yet to formally respond to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ethan, Jesse and Alex Cohen, three siblings from Lynbrook, at least one of whom has worked summers at the private beach club between 2015 and 2022, records show. Ethan Cohen, who worked as a cabana attendant, and his two sisters, who worked as lifeguards, are not currently employed at Catalina.
More than 70 other current and former Catalina workers could also sign onto the suit, the document states.
As a cabana attendant and later a "head cabana boy," Ethan Cohen often worked more than 40 hours per week and in excess of 10 hours daily, the suit states. But management of the club, the lawsuit states, paid Cohen less than the minimum wage, ranging from $8.65 per hour to $10 per hour, with an additional hourly tip credit of $3.20.
Minimum wage has ranged from $8.75 an hour in 2015 to the current wage of $15 starting in Jan. 1, 2019.
In addition, some employees were expected to arrive as early as 6 a.m. on weekends to prepare for their 9 a.m. shifts but were not paid for those hours, nor were they compensated for attending mandatory staff meetings, the suit states. Employees were also not paid overtime when working more than 40 hours per week or didn't get extra pay when working more than 10 hours per day, as required by state labor law, the suit said.
Some workers were also not paid for "call-in" time — when they arrived at work but were sent home because of inclement weather — nor were they provided with pay statements indicating the hours they worked, Kakalec said.
"Defendant knew that their failure to pay plaintiffs, the other attendants, and the other manual workers was prohibited by New York labor law," the lawsuit states.
Catalina is one of several beach clubs on Nassau's barrier island. Prices for a locker at the 79-year-old two-acre oceanfront beach club, which has been featured in the film "Goodfellas" and the television program "Royal Pains," start at around $3,200 with high-end cabanas topping out at over $20,000 for the summer.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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