Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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MILWAUKEE --

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that a lawsuit has been filed against Salija Inc., doing business as Judy’s Restaurant in Oak Creek, Wis., for alleged overtime pay violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal wage and hour law.

“Our priority at the Department of Labor is to protect vulnerable workers. We will not hesitate to aggressively enforce the law and pursue litigation in cases involving serious violations,” said Denise Scharlemann, district director of the Wage and Hour Division in Minneapolis.

The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. The complaint alleges violations of the overtime pay and record keeping provisions of the FLSA. The Labor Department is seeking back wages, liquidated damages equal to the amount of back wages or interest, and an injunction restraining Salija Inc. and its managers, Agim Salija and Sali Salija, from future violations of the FLSA.

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that the company employed cooks, dishwashers and busboys who were paid weekly salaries and did not receive overtime pay when they worked more than 40 hours per week. The investigation also found that the firm failed to keep an accurate record of hours worked by employees. The violations occurred since June 2002.

The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid the minimum wage for all hours worked and time and one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked in excess of 40 per week. The FLSA also requires employers to maintain accurate time and payroll records.

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

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