MANTECA, Calif. — A Manteca restaurant owner will pay out approximately $824,000 in back wages and other damages to 102 workers after the U.S. Department of Labor found him in violation of labor laws.
Investigators say Juan Francisco Fonseca, who owns four La Estrella Tacos & Seafood restaurants in Manteca, tried to avoid paying overtime and didn't combine the hours worked at multiple locations when calculating overtime pay. Some employees worked up to 26 hours per week in overtime yet were only paid at their regular rate.
Fonseca was ordered by the Department of Labor to pay $412,202 in overtime back wages and another $412,202 for damages — as well as a $50,320 penalty.
“Restaurants with workers at more than one location cannot simply move employees between establishments in the same workweek to avoid overtime pay,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Cesar Avila. “This employer’s costly disregard for their workers’ rights has also resulted in the assessment of civil money penalties.”
