July 11, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $45K in back wages, damages for 14 workers denied overtime pay by Walnut Creek restaurant

Employer:      El Molino Taqueria 

                             2228 Oak Grove Road

                             Walnut Creek, CA 94598

July 11, 2024

US Department of Labor files complaint, seeks contempt order after owner of 8 Indianapolis home healthcare companies defies court, continues violations

INDIANAPOLIS – Despite a 2022 federal court judgment requiring him to pay his employees overtime, Tim Paul — owner of eight Indianapolis-area healthcare services companies — continues to use improper pay practices, the U.S. Department of Labor alleges in its request that a federal court hold the employer in contempt for ignoring the 2022 decision.

July 11, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $48K in back wages, damages for 18 cooks at two Davenport restaurants

Employer:      El Compita Mexican Bar and Grill

                            14010 112th Ave., Davenport, IA 52804                         

July 10, 2024

Department of Labor seeks court order to end IT staffing agency practices that exploit workers through a system akin to modern-day indentured servitude

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has asked a federal court to stop improper employment practices by a Virginia-based IT staffing agency that bind employees to their jobs, extract huge sums from them if they leave the firm and forbid them from engaging in protected activity under federal law.

July 10, 2024

Department of Labor recovers $172K for 21 restaurant workers after investigation finds Richmond restaurant denied overtime wages

Employer:                             

Chicanos Inc., operating as Chicanos Cocina Bar and Grill

Investigation site:                  

523 E. Main St., Richmond, VA

July 9, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $110K in back wages, damages for 46 workers whose New Orleans employer withheld overtime pay

Employer name:                Southern Care Connection LLC, operating as #1 in Homecare

Investigation site:            1539 Jackson Ave., Suite 120

                                                    New Orleans, LA 70130   

July 9, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $912K in back wages, withheld tips, liquidated damages for 44 employees of New Hampshire taproom

MANCHESTER, NH – A federal investigation has recovered $912,594 for 44 employees of a Londonderry brewery and restaurant that illegally kept workers’ credit card tips and incorrectly exempted several salaried employees, such as brewers, bartenders, cooks and administrative staff from overtime pay requirements.

July 3, 2024

US Department of Labor obtains preliminary injunction against Benton restaurant to stop employing children illegally, retaliating against workers

LITTLE ROCK, AR – The owner of a Benton tavern and restaurant has agreed to comply with a preliminary injunction obtained by the U.S. Department of Labor to stop the employer from violating federal regulations.

The action comes amid allegations that Tim’s Tavern and owner Tim Steppach failed to pay minimum and overtime wages as required, kept workers’ tips, employed children illegally and fired a worker who warned that the department would be notified.

July 2, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $555K for more than 2,500 Intuit employees after software provider’s recordkeeping errors denied overtime wages

SAN JOSE, CA – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found that Intuit — a Silicon Valley-based multinational provider of payroll and financial software applications — deprived more than 2,500 employees of more than $555,000 in overtime pay by not keeping accurate pay records and failing to pay for some work hours, including time spent on required training. 

June 26, 2024

Departamento de Trabajo recupera casi $840K para empleados de empresas de almacenes y logística en San Diego; algunos recibían menos de $3 por hora

SAN DIEGO, CA – Desde 2021, el Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. ha observado un preocupante aumento de robo de salarios por parte de almacenes y empresas de transporte de carga y logística que operan en la zona de la frontera con México. Esta tendencia se ha visto reflejada en tres investigaciones recientes en San Diego que han resultado en la recuperaron de casi $840.000 dólares para 32 empleados.

June 26, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers nearly $840K from San Diego warehouse, logistics companies after probe finds some workers paid less than $3 per hour

SAN DIEGO, CA – Since 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor has seen a troubling increase in wage theft by customs brokers and freight-forwarding and logistics companies operating near the Mexican border, a trend reflected in three recent investigations in San Diego that recovered nearly $840,000 for 32 employees, some of whom one employer paid less than $3 per hour.

June 26, 2024

Department of Labor begins debt collection against Ohio landscaping company barred from federal worker program after owner allegedly threatened workers

NEWBURY, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor has initiated debt collection procedures against a Newbury landscaping company that allegedly threatened workers for cooperating with a federal investigation that found the company and its owner owes $169,015 in back wages and damages to 19 affected workers. 

June 25, 2024

Department of Labor obtains order to force Los Angeles-area meat processor, staffing agency to give up $327K in profits from oppressive child labor

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment in a federal court ordering a City of Industry meat processor and a Downey staffing agency to surrender $327,484 in illegal profits made from sales of products associated with oppressive, exploitative child labor. The judgment also requires the employers to pay the department $62,516 in penalties. 

June 21, 2024

Department of Labor recovers $307K in back wages, damages for 23 restaurant workers deprived of overtime pay in Hawaii

Employer:       Asian Restaurant Group Inc., operating two restaurants as Max’s of Manila in Hawaii

                              1350 Pine St. #6

                               Boulder, CO 80304

June 18, 2024

Ann Arbor restaurants’ operator agrees to pay $197K in back wages, damages to 20 workers denied overtime during pandemic

ANN ARBOR, MI – An Ann Arbor restaurant operator who sought and received nearly $950,000 in federal assistance to help keep workers employed during the pandemic has agreed to pay $196,531 in back wages and liquidated damages to 20 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the employer’s illegal pay practices. 

June 18, 2024

Department of Labor recovers $84K in back wages, damages from Jersey Shore steakhouse owner who willfully denied full pay to 13 workers

BELMAR, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered more than $84,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 13 workers and assessed $4,459 in penalties after its investigation determined a Jersey Shore steakhouse owner violated federal overtime regulations deliberately.

June 12, 2024

Juez federal ordena a contratista de construcción pagar $288K a 43 trabajadores de México y $63K en multas por violaciones al programa H-2A

SAN JACINTO, CA – Un juez federal reafirmó la conclusión del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. de que una empresa constructora de Nebraska que operaba en el sur de California discriminó descarada y deliberadamente a trabajadores estadounidenses al traer a EE.UU. trabajadores mexicanos con falsos pretextos, a los que pagó de menos y puso su seguridad y salud en riesgo en condiciones de alojamiento deficientes.  

June 12, 2024

Federal judge orders construction contractor to pay $288K to 43 workers from Mexico and $63K in penalties for H-2A program violations

SAN JACINTO, CA – A federal judge has reaffirmed the U.S. Department of Labor’s finding that a Nebraska construction company operating in Southern California blatantly and willfully discriminated against U.S. workers by bringing Mexican workers to the U.S. under false pretenses, shortchanging their wages and putting their safety and health at risk in substandard living conditions.