Nearly $64K recovered for 8 Austin restaurant workers after investigation into wage violations

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin restaurant is accused of illegally deducting pay and denying overtime pay from their employees.

Officials said they recovered nearly $64,000 for eight workers.

What we know:

The U.S. Department of Labor said Beto's Restaurant and Bar failed to pay for overtime hours that were worked and illegally deducted pay from tipped employees. 

The department recovered $63,645 for eight workers. 

An investigation revealed that on average, employees worked over eight overtime hours every week, but Beto's didn't pay them the required time-and-a-half per hour for overtime. The workers were also not paid for their duties performed after their shifts were done.

Additionally, Beto's deducted uniform expenses from the wages of tipped employees, which resulted in the worker being paid less than the minimum wage for their hours worked.

What they're saying:

"Wage violations, including failing to track and pay for all hours worked, continue to be a major concern for workers in the food services industry," said Wage and Hour Division Acting District Director Charles Frasier, in Houston, Texas. "The Wage and Hour Division offers assistance to employers to help them avoid these kinds of violations and will continue to assure that workers get all the pay they have earned."

What you can do:

Workers and employers can call the Wage and Hour Division with questions and requests for compliance assistance at its toll-free helpline, 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The agency’s PAID program offers employers an opportunity to self-report and resolve potential minimum wage and overtime violations under the FLSA, as well as certain potential violations under the Family and Medical Leave Act.