Restaurants ordered to pay almost $75,000 in back pay for overtime
Two South Carolina restaurants have been ordered by the U.S. Department of Labor to pay a total of almost $75,000 in back wages to more than a dozen employees. The El Jimador Mexican Restaurants were found to have hired employees without legally registering them - a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The restaurants, which are both owned by the Macias family, were also found to have violated FLSA regulations on overtime payments for time and attendance, record-keeping and minimum wage for 13 employees. DOL investigators said the restaurants employed several low-wage workers, many of whom worked an average of 60 hours per week below minimum wage and without being given any mandated overtime payments.
Michelle Garvey, director of the DOL's Columbia office, said many of the at-risk employees were paid under the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, and they were forced to buy their own uniforms for work.
"These workers deserve every penny of the wages they have rightfully earned," Garvey said. "Through the effort of our ongoing enforcement initiative, the wage and hour division continues to combat widespread labor violations among South Carolina restaurants to protect workers and ensure a level playing field for law-abiding employers."
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