Julie Su Acting United States Secretary of Labor | Official Website
The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered over $84,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 13 workers following an investigation into a Jersey Shore steakhouse owner. The department also assessed $4,459 in penalties after determining that the owner violated federal overtime regulations deliberately.
Investigators from the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that Dariusz Targonski, owner of Flames Brazilian Steakhouse in Belmar, paid hourly employees straight-time wages for all hours worked, including those exceeding 40 hours per week when an overtime rate should have applied. Additionally, the employer failed to pay non-exempt salaried employees overtime and did not maintain required payroll records.
“People employed in the restaurant industry often work long hours to support themselves and their families and they deserve to be paid the wages they’ve earned,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Charlene Rachor in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. “Wage theft is a serious issue and the U.S. Department of Labor is determined to hold industry employers like Dariusz Targonski accountable when they mistakenly believe they can violate workers’ rights and gain an unfair advantage over their competitors.”
The recovery of back wages, along with damages and penalties assessed, resolved the employer’s willful violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
For more information about the Wage and Hour Division or if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division, a search tool is available. Workers and employers can contact the division confidentially at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE (487-9243), regardless of immigration status. The department can communicate with callers in more than 200 languages. To help ensure accurate tracking of hours worked and pay, workers and employers can download the department’s free Timesheet App for Android and iOS devices available in English and Spanish.
