Florida Vietnamese restaurant chain is ordered to pay back $314,553 to 65 employees after refusing to pay them overtime and stealing their tips
The owner of a Vietnamese restaurant chain in Florida has been ordered to pay back more than $300,000 in overtime wages and tips stolen from 65 employees.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced in a Wednesday press release that Pho 79 - based in Davie, Florida - would need to pay back $314,553 to 65 employees.
An investigation revealed that Pho 79 paid a flat daily rate to cooks, dishwashers and kitchens helpers, regardless of the hours employees worked.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced in a Wednesday press release that Pho 79 - based in Davie, Florida - would need to pay back $314,553 to 65 employees
An investigation revealed that Pho 79 paid a flat daily rate to cooks, dishwashers and kitchens helpers, regardless of the hours employees worked
The owner - identified by a Division of Corporations filing as Jacky Truong - failed to pay overtime if employees worked more than 40 hours, violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Pho 79 was also found to have illegally diverted all gratuities to the eatery, refusing to give workers tips and violating a provision in FLSA regarding tips.
Investigators also determined that the restaurant failed to maintain an accurate record of the hours worked by employees and their contact information.
The owner - identified by a Division of Corporations filing as Jacky Truong - failed to pay overtime if employees worked more than 40 hours, violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). A location in Sunrise, Florida
Pho 79 also failed to display a FLSA minimum wage poster in each of their locations, violating the law.
'Employers may not keep tips received by employees,' said Wage and Hour Division District Director Tony Pham, in Miami, Florida.
'The Wage and Hour Division will continue working to ensure that workers receive all the wages they have legally earned, and that employers compete on a level playing field. We encourage all employers to reach out to us and to use the variety of tools we offer to ensure that their pay practices comply with federal labor laws.'
Pho 79 also failed to pay workers their tips. A grab of their website
