The U.S. Department of Labor recovered almost $102,000 in back wages and liquidated damages from a Honolulu sushi restaurant that underpaid its employees.
Imanas Tei, located near the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, failed to pay 10 chefs who worked over 40 hours in a workweek, according to the department's Wage and Hour Division.
Officials confirmed Monday that some worked as much as 20 hours of overtime each week.
Owners Keiji Fukuda and Yuki Naka allegedly avoided accurate payments by falsely categorizing the chefs’ duties as "management" instead of "meal prep."
The DOL stated that the owners also failed to keep a record of the workers’ hours, which is a federal record-keeping violation.
The restaurant is ordered to pay the amount back, in addition to about $4,500 for civil penalties.
“Overtime earned must be overtime paid,” said Terrence Trotter, the Wage and Hour Division district director., in a press release Monday.
The Wage and Hour Division recommends workers to use their online Owed Wages search tool to confirm any back wages collected by the DOL. Workers can also file an online complaint or call the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).
