ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Two popular Ann Arbor restaurants are being sued by the U.S. Department of Labor for failing to pay more than $120,000 in overtime wages to more than a dozen workers.
The federal department it has filed suit against Cascabel Ventures LLC in Ann Arbor, seeking $242,534, representing $121,767 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, for 20 employees.
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Cascabel Ventures LLC does business as Isalita and Mani Osteria & Bar, which are restaurants located in Ann Arbor. Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division alleged Fair Labor Standards Act violations by the two jointly operated restaurants and their owner Adam Baru.
Specifically, investigators said they found the employer failed to pay their employees time and one-half their hourly rate of pay for overtime hours July 6, 2020, through July 3, 2022. The suit seeks back wages, liquidated damages and an injunction against Baru and the restaurants from future FLSA violations.
“Complying with federal wage laws is not optional,” said Wage and Hour Midwest Deputy Regional Administrator Timolin Mitchell in Detroit. “Every worker has the right to be paid fully for the job they do. Employers must be responsible for knowing the law and abiding by it. Workers cannot agree to waive their rights – including the right to be paid the minimum wage – under federal law.”
Reporting info: Here’s more info about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division and how to file an online complaint. For confidential compliance assistance, employees and employers can call the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243), regardless of where they are from.