BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Maryland restaurant operator recently paid more than $500,000 in back wages, damages and penalties after a federal court judgement found it withheld tips and violated wage agreements. The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore’s investigation recovered a total of $499,258 in back wages and liquidated damages for 62 workers employed by the operator of Mezcal Mexican Restaurant and Bar in Owings Mills and Lutherville, Maryland. READ MORE: Some Maryland Students Head Back To Classroom As Hybrid In-Person Learning Begins They found “numerous violations” of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime requirements, including withholding money from workers’ tips for an alleged tip pool while failing to distribute those funds among tipped employees, instead keeping them for the business. They paid servers straight time rates for overtime hours and paid kitchen staff a fixed salary — off the books — without overtime pay no matter the hours worked. They also found the operator failed to maintain the required payroll records. Many employees were paid in cash and did not appear on the employer’s payroll records at all. READ MORE: 'We're Collateral Damage': Baltimore Strip Club Owner Sues City Over 'Unconstitutional' COVID-19 Restrictions On Adult Entertainment Venues “All too often, restaurant industry workers fall victim to wage violations,” said Wage and Hour District Director Nicholas Fiorello in Baltimore. “Tips remain the property of those who rightfully earned them, and must never be kept by employers. The U.S. Department of Labor will continue to hold employers accountable when they attempt to gain an unfair competitive advantage, at the expense of their workers.” After investigating, the department filed a complaint against Mezcal Inc. and its owner, Carlos Ulloa. Mezcal and Ulloa then agreed to a consent judgment requiring them to pay back wages and liquidated damages as well as $15,357 in ...
Feed restaurant chattanooga
Gov. Tom Wolf ‘Considering’ Loosening Restrictions On Restaurants And Bars
By: KDKA-TV News Staff HARRISBURG (KDKA) – Gov. Tom Wolf said he’s considering loosening restrictions on bars and restaurants. READ MORE: Relief On The Way For Struggling Business Owners In Pennsylvania “We’re considering everything,” he said at a press conference Tuesday about funding for businesses in the hospitality industry hit hard by the pandemic. “The question is, how fast can we move in a safe manner to get back to normal?” On Monday, Wolf loosened some restrictions , easing the gathering limits and lifting the out-of-state travel restrictions. “We’re coming down to a flattening, they call it a plateau, that is still at an unacceptably high level,” Wolf said about the CDC. “So they want to take a little more time to see how this goes and I agree with that.” READ MORE: COVID-19 In Pennsylvania: Gov. Tom Wolf Signs $912M Pandemic Relief Bill It came as Gov. Tom Wolf and leaders held a press conference to highlight $145 million in funding that will soon be available for businesses in the hospitality industry. Pennsylvania has made available more than $145 million in grants from the Workers Compensation Security Fund to the general fund for struggling small businesses. The money was transferred to all 67 Pennsylvania counties and the amount is based on population. (Photo Credit: KDKA) The grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 for businesses in the hospitality industry. Priority is being given to businesses that have not received funding through the Paycheck Protection Program. These businesses would have closed under Governor Tom Wolf’s disaster declaration and have lost more than 50 percent of business between March 31, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020. MORE NEWS: Wolf Administration Distributing $145M In Funding For Bars, Restaurants Hit Hard By Pandemic Applications will be available on March 15. Guidelines on the program can be found here . ...
Relaxed COVID Restrictions, Warmer Weather Will Bring More Restaurants Out Of Hibernation
BOSTON (CBS) — Shutting down was a matter of survival for many restaurants this winter. But now, with COVID vaccinations underway and spring coming, things are looking up. Joseph Cassinelli, Owner of Alpine Restaurant Group, made the tough decision to temporarily close Burro Bar back in December. READ MORE: Melrose High School Senior Organizes Webinar To Highlight Women Role Models In The Space Industry “You’re trying to lose as little money as possible so that you can be there when you can reopen, so that you can survive,” he said. Now, the South End restaurant is reopening on March 5, along with its other location in Brookline, encouraged by relaxed restrictions and warmer weather. “Just felt like right now was the time to get people back in the restaurant, get them set up and running again, get set up for the patios,” Cassinelli said. Other places are making similar calls, like Dorchester Brewing Company, which reopened on Monday after a two-month hibernation. READ MORE: President Biden Directs States To Prioritize Vaccinating Teachers, School Staff By End Of March “We had a line here yesterday when we opened at 11:30 a.m.,” said head bartender at Dorchester Brewing Company Anthony Traniello. “The weather definitely did play a factor– the colder weather and people not being as comfortable dining indoors as well.” Bob Luz, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said many restaurants in hibernation are now making plans to return soon. “We expect them to come out between now and probably April 1st, April 15th at the latest. And we expect most that hibernated are going to return as opposed to those that previously closed earlier this year,” Luz said. Cassinelli added, “Just get this past year in the past and start working on the future and just getting back to that sense of normalcy again. I think this is an emotional call for us as much as a financial call.” MORE NEWS: CareWell Receiving More COVID Vaccine Doses, ...
As Turkey Reopens, Restaurants Relieved But Doctors Worry
ISTANBUL - Turkish restaurants reopened and many children returned to school on Tuesday after the government announced steps to ease COVID-19 curbs even as cases edged higher, raising concerns in the top medical association. On Monday evening, President Tayyip Erdogan lifted weekend lockdowns in low- and medium-risk cities and limited lockdowns to Sundays in those deemed higher risk under what he called a "controlled normalization." Cafe and restaurant owners, limited to takeaway service for much of last year, have long urged a reopening of in-house dining after sector revenues dropped 65%. They also want relief from growing debt, and from social security and tax payments. "We were serving 4,000-5,000 people a week. Now with takeaway services we are serving only 500 people," Istanbul-based Pideban restaurant owner Yusuf Kaptanoglu said before the easing measures were announced. "I did not benefit from any support including loan support," he said. Across Turkey, pre- and primary schools as well as grades 8-12 resumed partial in-person education. Yet the moves come as new daily coronavirus cases rose to 9,891 on Monday, the highest since Jan. 11 and up from 8,424 a day earlier, according to official data. Cases were around 6,000 in late January. "The number of mutant virus cases is increasingly rising. We do not see conditions to return to an old 'normal'," the Turkish Medics' Association said on Twitter, calling for higher rates of testing and inoculation. "Political and economic interests must not take precedence over human life and science," it added. Turkey, with a population of 83 million, has administered 8.96 million vaccines in a campaign that began in mid-January. More than 7 million people have received a first shot and 1.89 million have received a second. ...
‘A Dream Come True’: Orioles’ Trey Mancini’s Family Emotional Following First Baseman’s Return A Year After Cancer Diagnosis
SARASOTA, Fla. (WJZ) — Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini is playing baseball again after a yearlong battle with colon cancer, and his return has made national headlines. The standing ovation Mancini got in his first spring training at-bat brought him to the brink of tears, and those closest to him shared every bit of the emotion. READ MORE: Standing Ovation For Trey Mancini, Singles At First-Bat In Orioles Spring Training Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini singles in his first spring-training at bat of the 2021 season. He returned to the game nearly a year after being diagnosed with cancer. Credit: Baltimore Orioles Mancini’s mom Beth and dad Tony were in the stands for their son’s triumphant return. “It was more emotional than I thought it would be when I pulled into the parking lot. It was just a reality that we were back and this was real and there was going to be a game today. It’s just a dream come true after everything he’s been through,” Beth said. Mancini’s girlfriend Sara Perlman also attended the game to applaud his return. She cried at the ballpark knowing firsthand what he had been through to get back to baseball. “I think watching him today and over the last year just proves what an awesome, incredible human being he is,” Perlman said. “He had some of the worst days I’ve seen someone go through and he always kept his head held up high.” READ MORE: Orioles' Trey Mancini Back On Field For Spring Training Nearly One Year After Cancer Diagnosis Tony said he’s proud of the way his son has handled the ups and downs of the past year. “I’m proud of the way that he took this situation that he was dealt and it’s for a reason. We all have to believe that everything in life is for a reason. And he’s turning it into something good,” he said. The “good” that came of his cancer battle, Mancini said, is the opportunity to inspire others who are diagnosed with cancer. “A lot of people helped me out through my ...
