BLOOMINGTON, Ind – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), has led to Ji Enterprises having to pay $81,127 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 12 current and former employees at two of its Bloomington, Indiana, restaurants – Restaurant Ami and Toto’s Uncle.

WHD investigators found violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and record keeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that included:

–       Minimum wage violations resulting from paying employees $7 per hour during training, less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour;

–       Overtime violations when some employees worked more than 40 hours in a workweek without being paid overtime at one-and-one-half times their hourly rates, or were incorrectly classified as exempt from overtime and paid a flat salary; and

–       Record keeping violations resulting from the employer’s failure to accurately record the number of hours employees worked.

“This investigation found a significant amount of back wages due and demonstrates the U.S. Department of Labor’s commitment to ensure employees receive all the wages they have legally earned,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Patricia Lewis, in Indianapolis. “We encourage employers to make use of the many tools the Division provides to help them understand their obligations, and to contact us for assistance.”

Ji Enterprises will pay 10 employees of Restaurant Ami a total of $148,367 and two employees of Toto’s Uncle a total of $13,887, representing both back wages and liquidated damages.

Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through thePAID program. For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by WHD, contact WHD’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by WHD.