Author: 
Lenard Leeds, Waiters Rights
“Legal Support for Hospitality Industry Workers”
A West Village hookah lounge and restaurant has agreed to pay $200,000 in back wages and penalties. The Veranda was charged with underpaying about 25 employees, many of them immigrants, and firing two workers who reported the violations to the authorities. Under the settlement, the lounge will pay $150,000 in restitution to employees who were paid below minimum wage and did not receive earned overtime pay. The employees benefited from a wage-theft law that took effect in April, 2010. Full Article
Minimum wage is the lowest wage an employer is allowed to pay an employee under the law. Under the FLSA, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. The federal minimum wage is different for tipped employees like servers and waiters. Employers may calculate tips into a tipped employee’s wage but employers must pay a tipped employee at least the federal minimum wage of $2.13 per hour. Under FLSA, overtime means working more than the prescribed workweek or working in excess of 40 hours per workweek. Some jobs diverge from the 40-hour workweek under FLSA, but normally any qualified employee who works more than 40 hours during a workweek is entitled to overtime.
Leeds Morelli & Brown, P.C. has experience with wage and hour law claims, including violations of the overtime laws caused by requiring not properly compensating employees for hours worked or overtime wages. The attorneys at Leeds Morelli & Brown, P.C., would be happy to discuss your wage and hour matter in confidence, and provide free consultations to answer your questions and evaluate your claim. Contact us today to discover how we can help you.