Salsitas restaurant sued for wage and overtime violations
The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint alleging that a local Mexican restaurant chain failed to pay workers minimum wage and overtime.
The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint alleging that a local Mexican restaurant chain failed to pay workers minimum wage and overtime.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Youngstown against Oscar McBenttes of Tallmadge, Ohio, who is identified as a corporate officer and part-owner of Salsitas Inc.
According to the complaint, between 2012 and 2014, seventeen employees of the restaurant were paid less than the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
The Labor Department also says workers were not properly compensated for working more than 40 hours per week.
The suit asks the court to stop the business from continuing the alleged practices and to compensate the workers named in the complaint.
The lawsuit seeks recovery of approximately $21,390 in back wages and an equal, additional amount in damages totaling $42,780 for the employees.
The Wage and Hour Division assessed civil money penalties of $7,947 for repeated and willful violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. A previous investigation found similar violations at the Austintown location in 2012, and the company paid a total of $33,813 in back wages at that time.
According to the company website, Salsitas operates a restaurant and corporate headquarters at 5495 Clarkins Drive, Austintown, as well as restaurants at 3031 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown, and 463 Boardman Canfield Rd., Boardman.
As of Tuesday morning, the company had not filed a response to the suit.