Los Amigos In Kalamazoo Ordered To Pay $225,000 In Back Wages

For some of us the holiday is a major headache with all of the money we end up spending and like Clark Griswold before us, some of us don't even get the one year subscription to the "Jelly of the Month" club as a bonus. So the holidays can add a bit of pressure when it comes to December and the money starts hemorrhaging out of our bank accounts. However, there are some who at one time went the way of Scrooge and end up having to pay the piper, which is what it seems may be the case for Los Amigos in Kalamazoo.

The restaurant was found guilty by a federal judge of violating the minimum wage and overtime rules set by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Now, all three locations found at 3317 Stadium Drive, 7375 S Westnedge, and Riviera Maya Bar and Grill, located at 5036 S Westnedge, have been ordered to pay $225,000 back to a total of 82 employees. Fox 17 reports that in the investigation,  the U.S. Department of Labor found the restaurants paid their employees fixed salaries, not accounting for the number of hours that they worked. Because of this, the employees ended up making a rate below the federal minimum wage, and employees didn't collect overtime pay when they went over 40 hours per week.

If you were working for any of these restaurants and you think are owed back wages, contact the local division office at 616-456-2004. If I may quote Frank Shirley from Christmas Vacation:

Sometimes things look good on paper, but lose their luster when you see how it affects real folks. I guess a healthy bottom line doesn't mean much if to get it, you have to hurt the ones you depend on. It's people that make the difference.