NorCal Pho chain owner ordered to pay $245K for denying cooks OT pay
By Ryan General
A Northern California Vietnamese restaurant owner has been ordered to pay over $245,000 in back wages and damages for reportedly violating federal wage laws.
Key points:
The details:
- According to the Department of Labor, Do violated provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, requiring businesses to pay overtime rates after 40 hours in a workweek.
- Do understood wage regulations but still chose to pay cooks flat salaries regardless of hours worked, the release said.
- Do owes workers a total of $122,861 in unpaid wages and another $122,861 in damages to the employees. He is also fined $8,330 in civil money penalties for his purported “willful violations.”
- “[The owner] learned that there are costly consequences for violating federal wage regulations,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Cesar Avila.
Tangent:
- Do also owns a chain of Kung Fu Tea cafes, though the wage investigations were specific to The Pho restaurants.
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