US Department of Labor recovers $124K in back wages, damages for 84 New Jersey restaurant workers deprived of overtime pay

Employer:                              

Swahili Village Bar and Grill,  2 Center St., Newark, NJ  07102

Investigation findings: A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found that Swahili Village Bar and Grill in Newark, New Jersey willfully failed to pay 84 servers, cooks and bussers overtime pay when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

Back Wages Recovered:                   $62,335 in overtime wages for 84 employees 

Liquidated Damages Recovered:    $62,335 in liquidated damages for 84 employees

Civil Money Penalties Assessed:      $44,100 in civil money penalties for willful violations

Quote: “Restaurant industry workers too often fall victim to employers who shortchange their wages and deprive them of their hard-earned wages,” said Wage and Hour District Director Paula Ruffin in Mountainside, New Jersey. “When the pay practices of employers like Swahili Village Bar and Grill violate federal law, we will hold them accountable and do all we can to recover the wages owed to employees.” 

Workers can use the division’s Workers Owed Wages search tool to see if they are owed back wages collected by the division. Employers and workers can contact the Wage and Hour Division for assistance at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE. Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including the agency’s restaurants compliance assistance toolkit and an overview about the FLSA protections for restaurant workers. Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free in English or Spanish.