NASHVILLE, TN – The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, issued a consent order and permanent injunction against Casa Vieja Mexican Grille, Inc., and its owners, after a U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division investigation determined that Casa Vieja violated the minimum wage, overtime wage, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has opened an area office in Queens to connect employers, community and trade organizations, employees, and other stakeholders with resources and assistance to ensure compliance with federal labor laws. The new office is located at 68-60 Austin St., Room 601, Forest Hills, New York, 11375.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Two Philadelphia restaurants have agreed to pay 156 employees a total of $414,765 in back wages, and an equal amount in liquidated damages, to resolve alleged federal wage violations. A proposed consent judgment filed on Nov. 27 – which must still be reviewed and approved by a federal judge – details the terms of the agreement.

In addition to paying back wages and damages, the employers will pay a $10,000 civil money penalty.

BOSTON, MA – A Dudley contract packager of aerosol containers and the U.S. Department of Labor have reached a settlement agreement resolving alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Shield Packaging Co. Inc. has paid $210,227 and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 205 employees and pledged future compliance with the FLSA.

AKRON, OH– The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and an Akron restaurant have reached an agreement to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including payment of $59,177 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages – totaling $118,354 – owed to 21 workers.

HARTFORD, CT – A Manchester-based chain of pizza restaurants and its owner will pay $26,575 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to employees to rectify violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found by the U.S. Department of Labor. The restaurant chain and owner will also pay $14,000 in damages to a former employee who refused to provide false information to investigators.

ROANOKE, VA – As a result of a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia entered a consent judgment ordering six Roanoke area restaurants and their owners to pay $1.5 million in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, to 149 employees. The consent judgment rectifies federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations. 

MEMPHIS, TN – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee issued a judgment and permanent injunction against Mulrooney Enterprises to pay $140,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for violating the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

FORT WALTON BEACH, FL – A recent U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation of Alabama-based government contractor InfoPro Corp., found an unintentional software glitch caused employee health and welfare benefits to be underpaid from July 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2016. Division investigators determined that InfoPro owed $126,329 in health and welfare benefits to 84 employees covered by the Service Contract Act (SCA).

CHATTANOOGA, TN – MetalTek International Inc. – a foundry and machinist shop in Chattanooga – has agreed to pay a total of $335,680 in back pay and liquidated damages to 68 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by not allowing its workers to put on and remove protective equipment while on the clock.

BOSTON, MA – A Chestnut Hill restaurant and its owner will pay $141,132 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 15 employees in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor. Café Misono Inc. and owner Kenneth Lee have also amended their pay practices to comply with federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements. They will also pay a $7,000 civil money penalty to the Department.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced plans to undertake new rulemaking with regard to overtime.

On July 26, 2017, the Department of Labor published a Request for Information (RFI) regarding the Overtime Final Rule, which was published on May 23, 2016, asking for public input on what changes the Department should propose. That comment period has ended and the Department is reviewing those submissions.

BLUE SPRINGS, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and a Blue Springs buffet restaurant have reached an agreement to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Wage and Hour Division determined Blue Springs-based Legend of Asia and its manager, Yu Min Xiao, failed to comply with FLSA minimum wage, overtime, and record-keeping provisions.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The U.S. District Court in Western Michigan has entered a consent judgment resolving violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) found at two Michigan nursing homes by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The nursing homes are Pine River Healthcare LLC, which operates as Pine River Healthcare Center, and Fremont Healthcare LLC, which operates as Transitional Healthcare Service of Fremont.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota entered a consent judgment agreed to by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and a Minneapolis employment agency to resolve overtime violations. As a result, 92 healthcare workers will receive $401,384 in back wages and damages.

ASHEBORO, NC – A national food distribution company based in Asheboro has agreed to pay $136,266 in back wages and damages to 47 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found overtime and other violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

BOSTON, MA – A Gloucester seafood processor will pay $90,000 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 60 employees to rectify violations identified during an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

KANSAS CITY, MO – The owner of a Kansas City-area restaurant pleaded guilty in federal court to two felony counts of providing falsified payroll records to impede an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division into violations of federal wage laws.

ATLANTA, GA – A U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia has ordered Bland Farms Production and Packing LLC – an onion producer in Vidalia – to pay $1,480,268 in back wages and liquidated damages after the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is conducting a construction survey in 24 New York counties to collect data on wages paid to workers to help establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.