The restaurant industry is notorious for cheating workers from receiving their pay in accordance with the law. Often times tipped workers in restaurants are paid less than the minimum wage, not paid overtime at time and one half, forced to complete hours of prepping and cleaning without the correct pay or paid a set salary instead of an hourly rate. In this specific matter, it was made clear to a Washington Heights restaurant that it would not make a mockery of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by arresting those at fault for the unpaid wages.
The restaurant, Parilla Latin Bistro, owed 9 employees more than $160,000 in unpaid wages. The New York State Attorney General in this matter, Letitia James, had the owner and manager of the restaurant arrested after being charged with multiple counts of grand larceny for consistently failing to pay its employees their rightfully earned wages. They allegedly paid their tipped workers and kitchen workers way below the minimum wage or not at all. They also failed to pay them overtime when working more than 40 hours in a week. If convicted, those arrested face five to fifteen years in prison as well as back wages to all of the affected employees.
It is important to reach out to an employment attorney that can help you determine if you have unpaid wages. A consultation may help orient you if you are being paid correctly . Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP specializes in wage and hour complaints and has had successful results in recovering tens of millions of dollars for its clients. We can be reached for a free phone consultation at (212)300-0375 or by visiting our website for additional information.