The U.S. Department of Labor finds that a restaurant in Arkansas illegally fired a worker who took leave protected by federal law.
Employer Name: Mi Casita Mexican Restaurant Inc., doing business as El Lorito
Investigation Sites: 3105 S 70th St., Fort Smith, AR 72903
Investigation Results: The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that the operator of nine restaurants in Arkansas failed to reinstate an employee to the same or an equivalent position upon return from Family and Medical Leave. Later, the employer terminated the worker, who refused to report to another restaurant miles away in a different town. The division determined that the employer owed the former employee lost hourly wages and tip wages for five months or more that the employee spent searching for other work.
Recovered Back Wages: $11,706
Civil Money Penalties: $204 in penalties for the violations
Quote: "An employer's compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act is never optional. An eligible employee for this protected leave must be able to exercise their right to use it without fear of losing their job," stated Wage and Hour District Director Hanz Grünauer in Little Rock, Arkansas. "The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring the protection of employees' rights and will use all available resources when violations are detected."
