U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Finds Minimum Wage And Overtime Violations at North Carolina Restaurant

DAVIDSON, NC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), North Harbor Club LLC – a restaurant based in Davidson, North Carolina – has paid $16,859 in back wages and liquidated damages to 18 employees for violating the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators found the restaurant violated minimum wage requirements when they deducted a portion of the employees' pay to purchase uniforms, which caused the workers' hourly wages to dip below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Investigators also found the employer failed to pay one hourly employee overtime for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, due to the employer failing to combine the hours from shifts the employee worked as a busser and a food runner.

"Employers must understand their responsibilities and pay employees all of the wages they have legally earned," said Wage and Hour District Director Richard Blaylock, in Raleigh, North Carolina. "The work of the Wage and Hour Division protects workers' wages, and levels the playing field so that employers who follow the rules do not find themselves at an economic disadvantage to those who do not. The U.S. Department of Labor encourages all employers to reach out to their local Wage and Hour Division office for information about how to comply and avoid violations."

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.