Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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CHICAGO --

The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that it is beginning a concentrated enforcement effort for restaurants in the Chicago metropolitan area to combat violations of federal minimum wage and overtime pay regulations.

During fiscal year 2007, the department’s Wage and Hour Division plans to randomly select approximately 67 full-service restaurants from DuPage, McHenry, Lake, Will, Kane, Kendall and suburban Cook Counties and conduct investigations to determine the current level of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) compliance. The agency conducted similar investigations in 1999 and 2001 and found compliance rates of 42 percent and 38 percent respectively.

“Business owners have an obligation to understand and abide by the FLSA, which protects youth employment and ensures minimum wage and overtime provisions are followed,” said Thomas Gauza, district director for the Wage and Hour Division in Chicago. “We are here to help businesses understand these core labor standards.”

The Wage and Hour Division has a confidential, online self-survey to help employers determine their current level of FLSA compliance particularly in the area of youth employment. The “Restaurant Employer Self Assessment Tool” may be obtained from the Chicago office directly at (312) 596-7230 or accessed at http://www.youthrules.dol.gov/selfassess_restaurant.htm.

The FLSA requires that employers pay covered workers at least the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a week, unless otherwise exempt. Employers also must maintain accurate time and payroll records.

For more general information about the FLSA, call the Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1 (866) 4US-WAGE (1-866-487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.