CORRECTED: US Department of Labor invites food service industry employers, workers, other stakeholders to join webinar on National Waitstaff Day

Who:               U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division          

                        South Carolina Human Affairs Commission

                        South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation

What:             Labor law webinar for National Waitstaff Day 

When:             May 21, 2024, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT   

Where:           Online webinar. Register to join this free event. 

Background: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is joining the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission and the South Carolina Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation – to mark National Waitstaff Day with a webinar on federal wage and other protections for people employed in the state’s food service industry. 

This multi-agency event will provide information on the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping provisions as well as tip pool requirements. The webinar will also cover safety hazards and discrimination in the workplace. 

In fiscal year 2023, the Wage and Hour Division’s Columbia district office identified violations in 108 investigations in the food services industry. These investigations found more than 640 workers owed more than $1.6 million in back wages and liquidated damages. In addition, the agency assessed more than $160,000 in civil money penalties to employers found violating the FLSA.

Quote: “South Carolina’s food service workers are among some of our lowest-paid workers. The U.S. Department of Labor and our state partners remain committed to ensuring these vulnerable workers take home every dollar earned,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Jamie Benefiel in Columbia, South Carolina. “We’ve designed this webinar to meet the food service industry’s unique needs in the hope that we can educate employers – including staffing agencies – on their legal responsibilities and help workers understand how we safeguard their wages and benefits.”

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Editor’s note: This release has been updated to correct the number of affected workers owed back wages.