The Department of Labor reported that a Mexican restaurant in Florida must pay its employees almost $120,000 dollars for wage theft, since managers forced their workers to work only in exchange for tips and did not pay them overtime.
An investigation of The agency revealed that the managers of Rosy’s Mexican Restaurant, in Jacksonville, did not pay the waiters’ wages and forced them to depend on tips as their only compensation.
The establishment also did not pay overtime to dishwashers, cooks and other workers when they worked more than 40 hours per week, the WTNH network initially reported.
The law establishes that each overtime hour worked must be paid 1.5 times the value of the regular hour. In Florida, a waiter earns a minimum of $6.98 dollars per hour not counting tips.
In total, the Department of Labor stated that Rosy’s Mexican Restaurant owed 10 of its workers $118, 042 dollars for non-compliance.
“By denying servers a cash salary and forcing them to live only on tips, and by denying workers overtime pay, Rosy’s Mexican Restaurant made it more difficult for these employees, who depend on every dollar, to take care of themselves and their families,” said the Director of the District Office of the Hours Division and Salaries, Wildalí De Jesús.
E & E Quezada Food Services Corp., the entity that operates the business, does not maintained accurate payroll records. Additionally, he employed a minor 15 years old after 7 pm, which is also against the law.
Employees under the age of 16 are prohibited from working after 7 pm from Labor Day through 31 May.
From June 1 through Labor Day, those same employees will not be allowed to work after 9 pm
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