WASHINGTON D.C. — A group of six current and former employees for popular Washington, D.C. restaurant Founding Farmers recently filed an unpaid overtime lawsuit against the owners of the business over allegations that the company failed to pay workers for all their hours spent on the job at multiple restaurants owned by the defendant. The complaint seeks class action status to recover unpaid wages for potentially hundreds of current and former servers and bartenders employed by the defendant throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
According to the class action unpaid overtime lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that they routinely worked over 40 hours per week at multiple restaurants owned by the defendant but were never paid overtime for the collective number of hours working for the owners. The plaintiffs contend the defendant violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to properly compensate the workers with overtime wages because, though plaintiffs worked for two different restaurants, the locations were owned by the same company.
Furthermore, some of the plaintiffs claim that the defendant only paid them tip earner wages while undergoing training and that they were forced to share tips from tables with managers, despite performing many duties not related to guest services. Additionally, the plaintiffs claim they were forced to spend their own money on uniforms and work supplies but were never reimbursed by the defendant for these necessary items.
Other allegations against the defendants include claims the company failed to pay workers for pre-shift meetings where management would pass down information necessary for the day or night. The unpaid overtime lawsuit claims that these meetings routinely took anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes and would account for some of the unpaid overtime wages.
Another claim brought by workers in Washington, D.C. alleges that the defendants threatened to fire any worker requesting paid sick time off. Under Washington, D.C. labor laws, employees must earn at least one-hour of paid sick time off for every 43 hours worked, up to five days in a year.
Restaurant Server Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit
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Our office will also determine if it is in your best interest to file a lawsuit against your employer. Because strict time limitations apply for filing these types of claims, we advise you contact our experienced unpaid overtime wage attorneys at your earliest convenience and preserve your legal rights.