Golden Pizza, a chain with locations in Worcester, Shrewsbury and Auburn, has agreed to pay $584,000 in back wages and damages for 73 employees for failing to comply with overtime regulations.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Boston office announced the agreement Monday, disclosing Golden Pizza will amend its payroll practices to comply with federal labor laws.
Golden Pizza has four locations in Worcester, and one each in Shrewsbury and Auburn.
Investigators found the six Golden Pizza locations, each operating under associated companies, failed to comply with overtime and record-keeping requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act in a period from July 2013 to July 2016. The companies failed to record all the hours that employees worked, and failed to pay them overtime and time-and-a-half pay when they worked more than 40 hours a week.
The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division said the violations were willful, because the Golden Pizza had been investigated twice before.
“This agreement recovers back wages for the workers who earned them. Golden Pizza’s prompt payment and agreement to a consent judgment ensures that its employees will receive all the wages they are due now, and in the future,” Carlos Matos, director of the Division’s Boston District Office, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, overtime and record-keeping violations are not uncommon. Employers are obligated to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act, and are encouraged to contact us with any questions they may have.”
Golden PIzza’s $584,000 payment is split equally between back wages and damages. The Department of Labor said it has received the money and is in the process of distributing it to employees. As part of the agreement, the restaurant chain neither admits nor denies the department’s findings.
