A recent investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that an Angry Fish Sushi restaurant allegedly violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying employees properly. The restaurant did not pay overtime rates to workers who were paid in cash for working over 40 hours a week. This is against federal law, which requires workers to be paid extra for overtime.
In addition, the restaurant paid some workers a flat day-rate, no matter how many hours they worked, without giving them the overtime pay they earned. Investigators also found that the restaurant didn’t pay employees for some of the hours they worked, which caused violations of minimum wage laws. To make things worse, the restaurant owner and a manager kept part of the workers’ tips, which is a common but illegal practice in the restaurant industry.
As a result of these violations, the restaurant was ordered to pay $21,937 in back wages to 24 workers and another $21,937 in liquidated damages, plus $7,806 in penalties for breaking labor laws.