Wage theft cheats workers out of rightfully earned wages

Though many people enjoy working, it can often take a toll on them both physically and mentally. Long days, hard work, difficult customers and other factors can all make jobs seem tedious. However, most people are willing to deal with these aspects in order to gain their compensation. Unfortunately, on top of other difficult aspects of their jobs, some New York workers have to also contend with wage theft.

It was recently reported that a restaurant in another state is facing fines due to such wrongdoing. The owners of the restaurant apparently made it look as if they were officially paying their servers $10 an hour, but in reality, the workers were making as little as $25 to $30 for a full day’s work. This type of action reportedly went on for over two years.

The average serving shift was seven hours, and when individuals would work double shifts, they were not given overtime pay. The report indicated that 25 workers were impacted by the wage theft. Now, the restaurant owes over $470,000 in back pay and nearly $48,000 in civil penalties.

Many workers may contend with wage theft because they do not know it is happening or because they badly need their jobs and do not want to complain and put their employment at risk. However, workers should have the ability to obtain their rightfully earned wages. If New York workers have concerns regarding their pay and potential violations, they may want to consult with experienced attorneys who could provide reliable information on their legal options.

Source: lamag.com, “An East Hollywood Restaurant Got Busted Paying Servers as Little as $25 a Day”, Julie Walmsley, Feb. 27, 2018

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