San Antonio based restaurant China Sea, agreed to pay $504,577 to 82 former workers for minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping violations. China Sea used two sets of books, one real, one not so real. Some kitchen workers were paid a salary that did not equate to minimum wage. And some workers worked 60 hours per
Dancers are Awarded Lost Pay and Liquidated Damages
They were exotic dancers, but they were also workers, just like the rest of us. Alexis Alex and Nicolette Prieto formerly danced at Tiffany’s Cabaret, a gentleman’s club. They claimed they were not paid minimum wage. The employer’s records did not record their time. But, the club’s strongest defense was that the money paid them
Internship Class Action Settles for $250,000
Internships are offered as a way to gain experience. But, often the only persons who can afford to accept an internship are children of families who can support the worker. Apparently, some internships are nothing more than a way to avoid paying minimum wages. The Charley Rose Show, seen on PBS, has agreed to settle
Wash Tub Agrees to Pay DOL $246,438
The San Antonio chain of car washes, known as the "Wash Tub," has agreed with the Department of Labor to pay $246,438 in back wages. The chain deducted so many items from some workers’ checks that their wages came to less than minimum wage. They failed to pay overtime wages and failed to record time
Employees Required to Check Work Email after Hours
Gene Lee writes a good post about whether workers should be paid for checking email after hours. More and more employees are being required to check their email after work. Accoding to a 2008 Pew internet survey, 50% of workers said they check their work email on weekends. 20% of workers said they were required
DOL Gets a Failing Grade
Rio Grande attorney, Aaron Ramirez, explains nicely the problems with seeking redress for wage violations from the Department of Labor. As he says, its better to seek relief through a private attorney.
Aaron points out for example that DOL does not normally seek liquidated damages. Liquidated damages is a phrase referring to monies used