A wage and hour claim has been filed against the sports bar restaurant chain Greene Turtle, alleging the chain failed to pay overtime and minimum wages according to federally mandated regulations. Recently, a U.S. District Court in Baltimore judge agreed to allow the claim to move forward as a class action suit, paving the way for many more employees to recover damages.
Two former servers at Greene Turtle’s Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport location filed the lawsuit which seeks to recover damages for up to 1,000 current and former employees working for the franchise over the past three years. The claim estimates that over a six month period, employees working 40 hours a week would be owed roughly $7,500 to cover unpaid overtime and minimum wages, including damages assessed for labor law violations.
According to the lawsuit, Greene Turtle paid rates below minimum wage by applying a “tip credit” which subtracts an employee’s tips from the minimum wage rate. While this practice is legal under the terms of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the law requires a restaurant to inform its employees it is engaging in this practice. The claim against Greene Turtle alleges the chain failed to properly notify its employees of this fact. Furthermore, it charges Greene Turtle with miscalculating the overtime rate for servers and bartenders. As a result, hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime wages were not rightfully paid to employees.
Greene Turtle has denied all charges and plans to vehemently defend themselves in court, claiming they do not owe their employees any back pay. The corporation has 25 locations across Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
If you have a wage and hour claim in the Houston, Texas area, please contact the attorneys at Kennedy Hodges today to schedule your free initial consultation.
