Fresno-area restaurant reaches agreement with US Labor Department to pay $100K in overtime back wages, damages to workers

Employer: Colima’s Carniceria y Taqueria

Site: 611 Tulare St., Parlier, California

Investigation findings: U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found that Colima’s Carniceria y Taqueria owners Maria and Martin Cobian violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay employees time-and-a-half their regular hourly rates for hours worked beyond 40 in a week. The employer also failed to make, keep and preserve accurate records of the wages, hours and other conditions and practices of employment.

Resolution: An agreement between the department and Colima’s owners was reached, and a consent judgment was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Fresno on June 15, 2017. The restaurant and its owners agreed to pay $50,000 in overtime due to workers and an equal amount in damages, totaling $100,000 for the employees. The owners will also implement a new time-keeping system and arrange for an all-employee meeting with Wage and Hour Division officials to inform workers of their FLSA rights.

Quote: “We look forward to continuing to work with employers and workers alike in the Central Valley to ensure they understand federal labor requirements for overtime and minimum wage,” said Nora Pedraza, the Wage and Hour Division’s assistant director in Fresno. “This settlement puts money back in workers’ pockets while also ensuring the company complies with the Fair Labor Standards Act in the future.”

Information: For more information about federal wage laws administered by division, call the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information also is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd/.