Ho, brah, get choke news coming out from da “Imanas Tei” restaurant right here in Honolulu ?. Da ownahs, Keiji Fukuda and Yuki Naka, wen grind their chefs but nevah pay dem overtime. Chee, no make sense. Da U.S. Department of Labor wen step in and found dat dese guys gotta pay $101,694 in back wages and damages to their 10 chefs. Some of dese hardworking folks wen put in 20 hours of overtime every week, and nevah see one extra cent ???.
Da guys in charge, da Wage and Hour Division, wen say dat Fukuda and Naka wen break da rules of da Fair Labor Standards Act. Dem guys wen treat their chefs like managers, but da real job was cooking up da grinds. So, no matter how you slice ’em, dey gotta pay da overtime for anything over 40 hours a week ??.
But da story get more pilau. Da ownahs nevah even keep track of all da hours dey workers wen work, including da overtime. Dat’s anodah big violation right dea, brah ??.
Da guy running da show, Mr. Terrence Trotter, from da Wage and Hour Division wen say, “Overtime earned must be overtime paid.” Tru dat! Fukuda and Naka thought dey could just slip undah da radar by paying salaries. But no can! Dey gotta pay da chefs all da kala dey earned ??.
On top of all dat, da Wage and Hour Division wen hit da ownahs wit $4,488 in civil penalties. Da reason? Dey went knowingly do da wrong ting, Trotter said ??.
Last fiscal year, da Wage and Hour Division wen recover ova $27.1 million for ova 22,000 workers in da food service industry. Ho, das plenny guys and wahines who wen get shortchanged! And get dis, da Bureau of Labor Statistics wen report choke job openings and people walking out on their jobs in da accommodation and food services industry in 2022 ???️.
No forget, da Wage and Hour Division also protects workers from kine stuff like retaliation, harassment, intimidation and adverse actions wen dey try for assert their worka rights. Dey get plenty info online about how for file one complaint and even one tool for check if you might be owed back wages. If you get any kine questions, workers and employers can call da division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) ?✅.
So da next time you working hard in da kitchen, rememba dis story, brah. No matter if you one chef ? or any kine worker, you gotta get paid what you earn. No let nobody short you. Stand up for your rights and make sure you get da overtime pay you deserve ??.
NOW IN ENGLISH
??? Local Restaurant Owners Fined for Failing to Pay Chefs Overtime
The U.S. Department of Labor has stepped in to ensure fair pay for local chefs, recovering a total of $101,694 in back wages and damages. This sum was withheld by the owners of a Honolulu restaurant, who were found to have not paid overtime to their chefs – some of whom had worked up to 20 hours of overtime in a week ?️??.
The Wage and Hour Division discovered that Keiji Fukuda and Yuki Naka, the owners of Imanas Tei restaurant, had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. The owners incorrectly classified their salaried chefs’ primary roles as management, thereby denying them their rightful overtime pay for any hours worked over the standard 40 in a week. They placed their staff in the kitchen, but did not compensate them accordingly for their efforts ??.
The restaurant owners were not only guilty of withholding overtime pay, but they also committed federal record-keeping violations. They failed to keep track of all hours worked, including overtime hours, which further complicated the issue ??.
In a press release, Wage and Hour Division District Director Terrence Trotter in Honolulu stated, “Overtime earned must be overtime paid. Paying salaries to frontline kitchen staff does not exempt an employer like Imanas Tei from its obligation to pay workers all of their legally earned wages” ?⚖️.
Alongside the recovered back wages and damages, the division also slapped Fukuda and Naka with a fine of $4,488 for their deliberate violations ??.
During the last fiscal year, the Wage and Hour Division managed to recover over $27.1 million for over 22,000 workers within the food service industry. In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an almost record-breaking number of job openings, alongside a significant number of workers leaving their positions in the accommodation and food services industry ???️.
The Wage and Hour Division is also tasked with protecting workers from issues such as retaliation, harassment, intimidation and any adverse actions taken against employees who assert their rights. There is a range of information available online regarding how to file a complaint, and tools to use if you believe you may be owed back wages. Both workers and employers with queries can contact the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) ?✅.
The case serves as a reminder to workers everywhere, chefs or otherwise, to stand up for their rights and ensure they receive the overtime pay they rightfully deserve ??.
