US Department of Labor recovers $37K in owed wages, damages  for 19 workers denied overtime by 2 Rio Grande Valley restaurants

Employer name:           Blanca Rosa Amezcua, operating as Taqueria Tepeque #1                                               Taqueria Tepeque LLC, operating as Taqueria Tepeque #2                                 Investigation sites:      Taqueria Tepeque #1                                                701 E. Nolana Loop, Suite 3A                                                Pharr, TX 78577                                                Taqueria Tepeque #2                                                3700 W. Dove Suite 700                                                McAllen, TX 78504Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found Taqueria Tepeque #1 owned by Blanca Rosa Amezcua and Taqueria Tepeque #2 owned by Jaqueline Chacon, Blanca Rosa Amezcua’s daughter, and managed by Blanca Rosa Amezcua —  violated federal law when they paid cooks, servers and non-exempt managers hourly wages for all hours worked and failed to pay the required time and one-half rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Additionally, the employers failed to keep federally required records.In 2023, the division found more than 29 million owed for nearly 26,000 food service industry workers. On Jan. 10, 2024, the department published a final rule, effective March 11, 2024, revising the department’s guidance on how to analyze who is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Learn more about the final rule.Back wages and damages: 19 employees were paid $37,329 in back wages and liquidated damagesQuote: “Employers are legally responsible for accounting for and paying employees for all hours worked, including time-and-one-half pay for all hours over 40 in a workweek,” said District Director Cynthia Cantu-Flores in McAllen, Texas. “Employers are responsible for knowing the law and abiding by it. The U.S. Labor Department offers many resources online to explain employers’ obligations and workers’ rights.”Lea en Español