A US court ordered a restaurant chain to pay $750,000 to employees for violating labor laws.

The decision was made due to non-payment of wages and violation of overtime rules

A federal court in the US ordered four restaurants of the Rancho Chico chain in Washington state to pay $ 750 thousand in compensation and back wages to 42 employees.

This was announced by the US Department of Labor following an investigation that revealed systemic violations of labor laws.

Employees were not paid extra for overtime

According to the investigation, the owners of the establishments Nolberto and Guillermina Rodriguez, who run Blanco Inc. and Mi Rancho Chico Inc., did not pay the mandatory overtime bonus.

This is a payment of 1.5 times the rate for all hours over 40 per week, as required by US federal law.

Below-minimum wages and violations of workers’ rights

The investigation also found that some workers were paid a fixed wage regardless of the number of hours worked, which resulted in wages below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

A separate case of an employee being illegally fired after filing a complaint about non-payment of wages was recorded.

Violations of child labor laws

In addition to financial violations, restaurants were found to have employed minors to work with dangerous equipment, which is a violation of child labor laws.

Court decision and further obligations

Despite previous agreements to voluntarily repay debts, the employers failed to fulfill their obligations, which became the basis for going to court.

According to the decision, the companies and the Rodriguez family are not only required to pay $750,000 in compensation, but also to continue to comply with US labor laws, including proper timekeeping and the prohibition of prosecuting workers for defending their rights.

The case is another example of the US judicial system’s harsh response to violations of workers’ labor rights.