Bald Birds Brewery pays back nearly $650K in unpaid wages, damages

Follows investigation by Dept. of Labor and Industry

JERSEY SHORE -- The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry reportedly recovered over $600,000 in unpaid wages, damages and more for employees at a local brewing company.

This week, the department announced it recovered $582,782 in unpaid wages for 124 workers and an additional $64,228 in damages for 108 workers after an investigation into Bald Birds Brewing Company -- which has locations in Jersey Shore in nearby Lycoming County and in Montgomery County -- where it found wage payment and collection law violations.

"Pennsylvania workers deserve to be paid what they earn and know their rights will be protected," said L&I Secretary Nancy A. Walker. "When employers fail to pay workers on time, there are consequences. This case secured not only the unpaid wages workers had earned, but also the liquidated damages they were entitled to under the law. The Shapiro Administration will continue fighting to make sure workers receive every dollar they are owed."

According to a release from the department, the investigation into these violations began after it received ongoing complaints about late payments being made to the company's employees.

After reviewing the complaints and conducting an audit of the company's records, the department said it determined Bald Birds Brewery had "failed over the course of several months to pay employees on time at its Audubon, King of Prussia and Jersey Shore locations."

The department also noted that "most recently, payroll was not issued for five weeks for many of the workers."

Following the investigation, Bald Birds Brewery entered into an agreement with the department and paid the owed wages to all 124 impacted workers along with the additional money in liquidated damages to 108 of those employees.

The department's release said it is responsible for administering and enforcing the Commonwealth's labor laws and, through investigations like this, it protects workers' rights, returns wages to workers and holds employers accountable when they violate the law.

"In 2025 alone, L&I completed more than 5,800 labor law complaints statewide, recovered more than $5.65 million in unpaid wages and collected more than $2.1 million in fines from employers who violated Pennsylvania labor laws," the release said.

The department said if workers believe they may not have been paid properly can file a complaint through its website, www.pa.gov/agencies/dli.