U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in $72,425 in Back Wages and Damages for Florida Keys Restaurant Employees

KEY WEST, FL – East on the West Side Inc. – operating as Ambrosia Japanese Restaurant in Key West, Florida – will pay $72,425 in back wages and liquidated damages to 15 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found violations of overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found the restaurant obtained its employees through staffing agency Phoenix ADB Services Inc. The employer paid the employees straight-time rates for all the hours that they worked, failing to pay them overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. The employer also violated the recordkeeping requirements of the FLSA when it failed to maintain time and payroll records and to display the required federal minimum wage poster.

"Employers are responsible for ensuring they pay employees properly for all the hours that they work whether they are hired directly by the company or through a staffing agency," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Tony Pham, in Miami. "We encourage employers to contact us with any questions they may have, and to use the variety of tools we offer to help them understand their obligations and to comply with the law. Violations like these can be avoided."

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the 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 https://www.dol.gov/whd.