Selbyville restaurant fined 305k for wage theft from workers

SELBYVILLE, Del. – A large fine is making its way to a Selbyville restaurant after it was found to have been underpaying its workers.

Taqueria La Sierra failed to pay overtime for its workers or keep records of time punches according to a Department of Labor investigation that resulted in a $305,000 fine for the restaurant.

$300,000 dollars of that fine will be going to compensating the 17 employees that were often working 75-80 hour work weeks on a flat salary, with no overtime or added compensation for the additional hours worked at minimum wage.

The investigation headed by the Wage and Hour Division notes that while the lack of payment may have been occurring for longer, the scope of their investigation focused on the last 3 years of management from the restaurant.

Counsel from the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor told 47ABC that these practices are unfortunately common, with restaurants often targeting undocumented workers with wage theft, as they believe they either don’t know the law or won’t speak up for fear of deportation.

“They are afraid because of their immigration status and employers sometimes abuse this so you may have a 5-star restaurant and in the back of the house you have a whole bunch of immigrant employees that are not being paid properly,” said Assistant Director for DOL Maribel Rivera-Lopez.

She told 47ABC that her office does not consider whether or not a worker is undocumented when taking a case, and their legal status is not one of the questions asked of those who come forward as part of an investigation.

She believes that no one deserves to have their overtime stolen regardless of their legal status.

Rivera-Lopez told 47ABC if you believe your employer is stealing wages or denying overtime to contact her office at 866-487-9243.