Parker Waichman LLP Comments on a Class Action Lawsuit Brought Against T.G.I. Fridays, Others, Over Unpaid Wage Allegations
Port Washington, New York (PRWEB) January 08, 2015 -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of wage theft victims, is commenting on a class action lawsuit brought against Carlson Restaurants Inc., Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., and T.G.I. Friday's Inc. that alleges that T.G.I. Friday's did not pay proper wages to its tipped employees. The case is Flood v. Carlson Restaurants Inc., et al., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Case No. 14CV2740.
According to the lawsuit, the restaurant chain violated the federal Fair Labor Standards and New York Labor Law by failing to pay tipped workers their proper minimum wage pay, overtime pay, spread-of-hours pay, and uniform maintenance. The lawsuit also seeks compensation for alleged unlawful deductions from paychecks and failure to keep accurate records. The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of tipped employees such as servers, bussers, runners, bartenders, and barbacks. (Flood v. Carlson Restaurants Inc., et al., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; Case No. 14CV2740)
Allegedly, T.G.I. Friday's did not pay tipped employees wages that accurately reflected the amount of work they conducted, including overtime if Plaintiffs worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. The lawsuit also alleges that, if Plaintiffs worked more than 10 hours a day, they did not receive their proper spread-of-hours pay for this time. The Defendants also allegedly failed to compensate employees for washing and maintaining their uniforms. According to the lawsuit, the Plaintiffs performed non-tipped “side-work” more than 20 percent of the time, but were never paid the appropriate hourly minimum wage for these tasks. In one situation, a Plaintiff was not properly paid when he performed “side-work” off-the-clock, the lawsuit alleges. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the Plaintiffs were forced to share their tips with employees who are not entitled to tips, such as silverware rollers and expeditors. (Flood v. Carlson Restaurants Inc., et al., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; Case No. 14CV2740)
According to Parker Waichman LLP, a number of tipped T.G.I. Friday's employees may be victims of wage theft. “These individuals work hard for theirs wages,” said Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney at Parker Waichman LLP. “It is wrong and unlawful for a company to deny its employees what is owed to them.”
Parker Waichman LLP provides free legal consultations to victims of wage theft. If you or someone you know is a victim of wage theft because your employer violated state and/or federal laws, please visit the firm's Unpaid Wage page at yourlawyer.com or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).
Gary Falkowitz, Parker Waichman LLP, http://yourlawyer.com, +1 (800) 529-4636, [email protected]
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