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Restaurant Chain Agrees to Overtime Pay Dispute Settlement

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A Mediterranean themed restaurant chain recently agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve claims that the company failed to properly compensate dozens of its workers for their overtime pay. As part of the agreement, Alabama-based Taziki’s Restaurants LLC, which also has locations in Georgia and Virginia, will pay a combined $135,844 to 26 workers to settle allegations that the company did not comply with federal laws on overtime pay and recording keeping.

According to an investigation by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, Taziki’s Restaurants failed to pay overtime wages to some of its workers when it did not account for the total number of hours individuals worked between multiple locations. Instead, the company only paid wages according to the hours worked at individual locations and only paid overtime if workers spent more than 40 hours per week at one store.

Additionally, the restaurant chain violated federal labor laws by failing to record the time it took for employees to travel between one location and another. These unaccounted hours also created overtime shortfalls and Taziki’s Restaurant agreed to compensate workers for overtime pay accordingly. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), all the hours spent working for a single company, regardless of whether they take place as a single job site or multiple ones, must be counted towards the total number of hours worked when calculating overtime pay.

“The resolution of this case puts these wages into the hands of those who earned them, and demonstrates how Department of Labor enforcement levels the playing field for law-abiding employers,” said Kenneth Stripling, Wage and Hour Division District Director. “We encourage all employers to make use of the many tools our agency offers to help them understand their obligations and to avoid violations.”

While the case involving Taziki’s Restaurants may seem like an honest mistake by the business, the truth is that this type of wage theft is all too common in the restaurant industry and is one of the many ways business attempt to keep payroll down. Fortunately, the FLSA gives wage theft victims the right to hire an overtime pay attorney and file suit in federal court if necessary to recover back pay.

Restaurant Worker Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit

Call (855) 754-2795 or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page if you believe that your wage rights are being violated under the FLSA. Our top-rated team of unpaid wage lawyers will evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action to help you seek justice.

Our office will also determine if it is in your best interest to file a lawsuit against your employer. Because strict time limitations apply for filing these types of claims, we advise you contact our experienced unpaid overtime wage attorneys at your earliest convenience and preserve your legal rights.

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