Nearly $355K In Back Wages Recovered For Mankato Restaurant Workers

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Nearly $355,000 in back wages have been recovered for 25 workers of a Mexican food restaurant in Mankato, the U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday.

According to the labor department, El Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant Inc. violated minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Now, the restaurant and its owner, Karina Feliz will pay the back wages under terms of a consent judgement enter in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

The investigation revealed that most of the kitchen staff was not on the restaurant's payroll records and of the employees who were on the payroll, many were told to punch time cards for 40 hours a week – when they routinely worked 60 hours a week or more.

"Low-wage workers have a hard time making ends meet. Employers who fail to pay legally required minimum wage and overtime deprive workers of money they earned and need to support themselves and their families," said Kristin Tout, assistant district director of the Wage and Hour Division's Minneapolis office. "The restaurant industry employs some of our nation's lowest paid workers. They are often vulnerable to exploitation. As the consent judgment we secured in this case shows, we will not hesitate to pursue legal action to protect these workers."

The restaurant also violated minimum wage requirements by failing to pay minimum wage and paying them in tips. Salaried workers who were entitled to overtime weren't paid legally required overtime for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek.

Under the terms of the judgement, the restaurant and owner agreed to comply with the minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions of the FLSA. The restaurant also had to fire manager Jose del Carmen Mendez Leon.