In April, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor unveiled a Fair Labor Standards Act enforcement initiative centered on restaurants in the Portland-metro area.
The focus of these audits is to reduce common FLSA violations, such as failure to pay employees minimum wage or overtime pay, and violations of child labor laws. A visit from a local Wage and Hour investigator can come with some hefty consequences if violations are discovered.
Between 2006 and 2011, the Portland office of the Wage and Hour Division found violations at nearly 80 percent of the restaurants it investigated and collected more than $3 million in back wages that were owed to more than 1,600 employees.