U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant Company Paying $313,742 to Resolve Wage Violations

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Thai Satay Restaurant has paid $313,742 in back wages and liquidated damages to 20 employees at its South San Francisco and San Mateo locations after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  

WHD investigators found that the employer violated minimum wage requirements when it paid some employees flat salaries insufficient to cover all of the hours that they worked at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The investigation disclosed overtime violations when the employer paid either flat salaries or day rates without regard to the number of hours the employees actually worked. When these employees worked more than 40 hours per week with no additional payment, overtime violations occurred. The company’s failure to maintain records of the number of hours worked by employees resulted in recordkeeping violations under the FLSA.  

“No employer should gain a competitive advantage by failing to pay its workers in compliance with the law,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Susana Blanco, in San Francisco. “This case highlights our commitment to leveling the playing field for employers and to ensuring that employees receive their rightfully earned wages.”

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program.  Information is also available at www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by WHD.