Nearly 500 Boston restaurant workers were defrauded out of more than $1.3 million by their employers, the U.S. Department of Labor recently announced.
The employers committed many violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, including failing to properly pay overtime, failure to account for hours worked at multiple locations when calculating overtime pay, and making illegal deductions from workers’ wages. The Labor Department also noted that many businesses falsely classified restaurant workers as “independent contractors” to avoid paying the minimum wage.
Restaurant workers are one of the most vulnerable and lowest-paid sectors of the workforce. Workers who struggle to improve their situation are subject to harassment and arbitrary firing for their actions.
While the investigation and punishment of thieving bosses is a welcome development, justice is not a gift of the government. Even the existence of a Fair Labor Standards Act is the product of workers’ struggle. Only when workers organize and stand together is progress made.
