SACRAMENTO (CN) - Bosnian Refugees claim in court that bosses at a Croatian cultural center paid them in cash or not at all and threatened their families with jail if they complained about it.
Ivo and Anka Petricevic sued the Croatian American Cultural Center of Sacramento, its manager Mike Zupan, and board president Mike Matosevic, in Superior Court.
The Petricevics immigrated to the U.S. from the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina as refugees of the Bosnian War and settled in Sacramento. A fellow Croatian national encouraged them to visit the Croatian American Cultural Center (CACC) to meet other Croatians.
Upon visiting the CACC - described in the complaint as a nonprofit but also a business that rents out its hall, grounds, and outdoor stage - the Petricevics met defendant Zupan and their children began working for the center.
"In 2001, Mr. Zupan asked if the Petricevics would like to work at the CACC," the complaint states. "Plaintiffs were reluctant to accept employment and explained to Mr. Zupan that they both suffered from post Traumatic Stress Disorder ('PTSD') as a result of their experiences in the Bosnian War. Mr. Zupan assured plaintiffs that the work would only be once or twice per month and that he was confident plaintiffs would be able to handle it. When plaintiffs inquired whether the work would affect the government disability benefits they received, Mr. Zupan informed them that 'all workers are paid in cash' and stated that he does not 'report' anyone."
Not knowing the customs of the United States and trusting Zupan, the Petricevics say, they went to work - without pay for two months.
"When plaintiffs asked Mr. Zupan when they would be paid, Mr. Zupan angrily replied 'work and keep silent or I will put you in jail,'" the Petricevics say in the complaint.
Realizing that he had frightened them, Zupan wrote to one of the Petricevics' children as payment, but demanded that they "not tell any government agencies or even their doctors that they were working for CACC," they say in the complaint.
The Petricevics say they continued to work for CACC for $7 an hour under Zupan's "strict control," doing general labor jobs such as washing and cleaning, unloading deliveries, setting up for events and preparing food. They sometimes worked 15 to 20 hours a day, but were never paid for overtime and were often denied meal or rest breaks, they say.
To further deny them proper employment benefits, Zupan forced them at threat of losing their jobs to make their children get a license for a cleaning business, Z&Z Cleaners, they say.
"Thereafter, the CACC issued checks for the payment of plaintiffs' wages payable to Z&Z Cleaning, apparently attempting to create the appearance of an independent contractor relationship. However, Z&Z Cleaning existed in name only and in no way exercised any control over the services plaintiffs provided to the CACC. Indeed, apart from the name written on the checks, nothing changed in the employment relationship between the plaintiffs and the CACC," the Petricevics say in the complaint.