U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in New Hampshire Catering and Café Enterprise Paying $86,959 in Back Wages and Damages for 70 Employees

MANCHESTER, NH – A Manchester, New Hampshire, enterprise involving a catering business and several cafes – all owned and operated by Keri Laman and Tidewater Hospitality Resources LLC – has paid $86,959 in back wages and liquidated damages for 70 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation identified violations of the overtime, minimum wage, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Department also assessed the employers $22,820 in civil penalties due to the willful nature of the violations.

The investigation covered four Manchester, New Hampshire, entities - Tidewater Catering Group LLC, Bayona Café LLC, Waterworks Café LLC, and Unity Café LLC. WHD investigators found that the businesses paid straight time, in cash, off the books, for overtime hours worked by hourly employees, failed to pay overtime to a non-exempt salaried employee for overtime hours, and failed to pay at least the federal minimum wage to one employee who the employer paid a flat rate of $50 per day. Recordkeeping violations stemmed from failing to record overtime hours for hourly employees, omitting from payroll overtime hours the employer paid off the books in cash, and failing to record the hours worked by an employee misclassified as exempt from the overtime requirements.

"Ensuring that employees receive the wages they are due under the law guarantees that all employers compete on a fair and level playing field," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Daniel Cronin in Manchester. "We encourage all employers to reach out to us for assistance. Violations like these can be avoided."

The Department provides numerous resources and tools to help employers understand their responsibilities and comply with federal law, such as online videos, confidential calls, or in-person visits to local WHD offices.

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