San Leandro sushi restaurant stole $43k in employee wages: US Dept of Labor

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KRON) — The U.S. Department of Labor said it has recovered over $43,000 in back wages and damages for 24 workers at Angry Fish Sushi in San Leandro.

The restaurant, incorporated in 2015, was found to have violated multiple labor laws, including failing to pay overtime and mishandling employee tips.

A Wage and Hour Division investigation revealed that the restaurant did not properly compensate workers for overtime. Employees paid in cash were not given the required overtime rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a week, said the U.S. Department of Labor. Investigators found that some workers were paid a flat day-rate regardless of the hours worked, and that both the owner and manager took a portion of the employees’ tips.

As a result of the investigation, the Department of Labor recovered $21,937 in back wages and $21,937 in liquidated damages, totaling over $43,000 for the 24 affected workers. Angry Fish Sushi was also assessed $7,806 in civil penalties for the violations.

“The U.S. Department of Labor will do all that’s needed to protect restaurant workers from being exploited by employers who deny them their earned overtime and steal their hard-earned wages and tips,” said Francisco Ocampo, District Director of the Wage and Hour Division in San Jose. “We will not tolerate this type of misbehavior and hurtful labor practices.”

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