Long Beach Thai Restaurant To Pay $45K In Back Wages To 8 Employees
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — A Thai restaurant in Long Beach agreed to pay $45,000 in back wages and damages to eight employees, U.S. Department of Labor officials said Monday.
Investigators from the Wage and Hour Division's Ontario Area Office found that Aura Thai, 4085 Atlantic Ave., owed $22,957 in unpaid minimum wage and overtime back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to four servers and four kitchen staff.
According to the Department of Labor, Aura Thai servers averaged just over nine hours a day, but were paid a flat rate of $50 per day regardless of the hours worked. Cooks and dishwashers, who averaged 66 hours during a 6-day workweek, were paid $100 per day in cash, the Department of Labor said. None of these workers were paid the required overtime premium pay of time and one-half for hours worked beyond 40 in a work week.
Aura Thai also failed to keep accurate records of employees' hours and pay, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to the Department of Labor.
The restaurant has agreed to pay all the back wages and liquidated damages and comply with all provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
"Restaurant employees often work long hours to support themselves and their families. They deserve to be paid the wages they rightfully earned," said Skarleth Kozlo, the Wage and Hour Division's assistant district director, said in a statement.