Restaurants & Bars
Chain Restaurant With MA Locations Part Of $11.4 Million Wage Theft Settlement
Workers from two of the Tex-Mex restaurant chain's Massachusetts will share more than $500,000.
MASSACHUSETTS — Workers from two Plaza Azteca restaurants in Massachusetts will share about $534,000 from a larger nationwide settlement related to wage violations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Plaza Azteca has agreed to settle wage theft claims at restaurants in Virginia, North Carolina, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for $11.4 million.
In Massachusetts, 42 employees at the Methuen location will share $404,736, and 12 employees from the former Seekonk location will share $134,446, according to the labor department. The chain also had a Worcester location, but it was not part of the settlement.
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According to federal labor officials, the restaurant chain failed to pay minimum wage to full-time workers, and failed to pay overtime to employees who worked more than 40 hours per week. Kitchen workers were also paid predetermined amounts rather than a regular wage, labor officials said.
The violations took place between 2016 and 2021, according to the labor department.
Find out what's happening in Across Massachusettswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
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