Probe: Restaurant owners shortchanged employees nearly $170K

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Wage and Hour division has found that KKOKI Korean BBQ restaurant owners in Salem, Portland and Eugene shortchanged 118 employees nearly $170,000.

The investigation report said managers took part of workers’ tips, paid overtime only after workers worked 86 hours rather than 40 hours per week and that the employer failed to keep accurate employee records, The Statesman Journal reported.

A total of $169,728 was recovered, representing $84,864 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. Additionally, the report says the division issued $30,199 in penalties for the “willful nature of the employer’s violations,”

Kkoki Korean BBQ owners were not available for comment.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-theft-salem-us-department-of-labor-5fd9e83959983772114fa505a4405408

[AZLD4Candidate]

1. This is normal business practice in Korea (and in China)

Bosses can just say "sorry, things are tight. We aren't paying you this month" and most workers will just accept it.

My wife's principal tried that with her one month. I showed up at the school with her one day to confront the principal with her. When the principal said "sorry, that's just the way it is because This is China," I started unplugging computers and taking them out.

She came out screaming I was stealing them. I told her if she won't pay my wife, I'll make sure she gets paid when I sell these today. She called the police and the police backed my wife and ordered the principal to pay her monthly salary plus another month in damages, then reported her to the Education Ministry. They also ordered her to do the same for all teachers out of her own pocket.

My wife, and the other teachers, got paid on time every month after, and they all treated me to a very expensive steak dinner in gratitude.

Foreigners working in Korea will have a helluva a time getting their last month's salary, since it's usually three months in one as per contract. Employers will fire the employee a week before the contract is set to expire, then claim they don't need to pay because the foreigner didn't complete the contract. In Korea, there is a written contract, but also an implied contract. Up until recently, the Korean police honored the "implied" contract. But, in 2015, a lot of embassies began telling their citizens to avoid working in Korea, and the Korean government cracked down hard on this practice.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

2. Unfortunately it happens everywhere. One of the hosts of Master Chef Australia was busted a few

years ago for screwing his staff out of nearly $8 million in wages.

In 2019, Calombaris's company MAdE Establishment Group admitted to underpaying $7.83 million in wages to 515 employees, which was back-paid.[4] MAdE agreed to pay $200,000 to the Australian Government and to undertake a number of other activities.[5] In February 2020, MAdE went into voluntary administration with the majority of its venues closed immediately.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Calombaris

[onetexan]

5. Pompous chef Mario Battali did that at his restaurant chain

Greedy old vain fool.

[DENVERPOPS]

3. I am sure, just like Medicare fraud

that there are thousands, or tens of thousands others who did the same....................

[Old Crank]

4. This won't stop

Until owners of businesses that do this are jailed for felony grand theft.