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Restaurant owner commits wage and hour violations

The Bay Area is full or restaurants, food trucks and other eateries. People enjoy trying new things, or perhaps going for a night out to order an old favorite. The hard-working employees that make sure a restaurant provides good food, excellent hospitality and an enjoyable dining experience can be the difference between success and failure for a restaurant. Recently, a man that owned three popular restaurants was revealed to have committed wage and hour violations

After reports that employees were being mistreated surfaced, the U.S. Department of Labor launched an investigation. The DOL found several concerning violations. When employees show up and do a good job, they should be paid properly and treated fairly, and there are laws in place to protect employee rights.

Delivery drivers were expected to put their tips in a pool that was split among the restaurant staff, including people working positions that are not entitled to tips, like cooks. After the tips were split, the drivers were being paid less than minimum wage. Additionally, some employees worked at more than one of the restaurant locations owned by the same person. He failed to combine the hours they worked at multiple locations, and some of these employees had worked more than 40 hours, thus violating federal overtime laws. When the Department of Labor was finished, the owner was directed to pay $184,000 in back wages to compensate the wronged employees. 

If a Bay Area employee is concerned a similar situation is affecting his or her livelihood, legal action may be appropriate against an employer. An experienced attorney will know just what to do to get the ball rolling. An attorney can help a client pursue recovery of any back wages that he or she may be entitled to, and seek to hold an employer fully accountable for wage and hour violations.