Citing numerous violations of federal employment laws and statutes, the U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $300,000 in back wages for employees of Chef Wang’s restaurant in Murfreesboro.

The owners of the popular Chinese buffet allegedly owe almost $153,640 in back wages to 91 servers and more than $151,450 to 10 cooks for minimum wage and overtime violations, according to Labor Department officials.

    本报倩妮、阳光、华牧、华悦联合报道    2013年7月28日，美国劳工部对位于纳城东南部30英里的墨城（Murfreesboro） 的一家中餐馆Chef Wang 提起诉讼。根据联邦劳工部的指控，Chef Wang 总共拖欠员工30万美金，其中拖欠91名服务生153,640美金，拖欠10位厨师151,450美金。这笔款项中包括应付员工的最低工资以及超时工资（Overtime）违约金。诉讼的总金额至少在30万美金，在加上可能的罚款。

    记者了解到，美国劳工部盯上这家当地生意最为红火之一的中餐馆至少有两年的时间，其支付工资和工时处的官员对此案例进行了长期的调查。劳工部工资和工时处是美国劳工部的下属分支，其主要职能是确保企业对《公平劳动标准法》的执行。劳工部的公共事务办公室发言人Michael D’Aquino说：“工资和公室处的调查员发现Chef Wang的一些重大的违反《公平劳动标准法》的案例都是由于未对厨房员工的工作时间作正确的记录和存档造成的。” 根据Michael D’Aquino的说法，除去餐厅应付员工的最低工资和超期违约补偿，劳工部的代理律师Neil A. Morholt 和 Latasha T. Thomas 正在为员工们的违约损失寻求一个合理的额外索赔金额，并给予餐厅违法行为相应的处罚，以确保该企业在未来对该法的执行。

    被告王孔贤（音译）和 王梦红（音译，英文Allen）系父子两人，从法庭提供的资料看到，目前已拖欠或克扣员工工资长达3年之久。

       Morholt在2013年6月向田纳西中部地区美国地方法院提起的投诉中说：“ 企业有责任向为其从事商业活动或为其生产与其商业活动相关的产品的员工提供合理的最低时薪。自2010年4月18日，被告刻意并反复违反劳动法的该项规定。”根据联邦法的规定企业对超时工作的员工应给予至少1至1.5倍于正常工资的加班工资。被告要求员工每周工作超过40 小时，却对员工的加班时间只给予正常时薪。被告人也从未对员工工作的时间作准确的记录。

    鉴于违规行为的严重程度，除去一切王孔贤 和王梦红父子给员工带来的可能的其他损失，劳工部官员希望被告偿还员工三年的工资和补偿。

    墨城当地各大媒体和纳城媒体（电视和报纸）几乎都刊登了这一消息，并发表了一些评论，他们试图采访这对父子，但是两名被告都不愿提供任何评论。Chef Wang 的现任总经理 Derek Miller一直在为他的雇主辩护， 声称自其2012年5月以来担任Chef Wang 总经理，认为Chef Wang的管理一向遵守所有劳动法律。他说： “自从我担任Chef Wang的总经理以来，从未有过不发加班工资的情况。” Derek Miller 在Chef Wang已工作多年，他还说：“我确实记得几年前劳工部来Chef Wang查讯一些事项，但我不明白为什么到现在才会被起诉。”不过，很显然这位总经理的说辞和联邦政府掌握的事实不一样。

    另外，即使如Derek Miller 所描述的那样，也表明这已经不是Chef Wang第一次因涉嫌违反劳工法，并接受劳工部门的调查。

       2008年6月， 美国移民和海关执法人员对Chef Wang 进行了突击检查。十几名非法移民被发现并拘留。在当年Chef Wang的老板Stanley Wang（王梦红的舅舅）在中田纳西州其他餐馆中，也同时有数十名非法移民被捕，Chef  Wang等多家餐馆也因此暂时关闭。 联邦移民局获得情报，Stanley Wang夫妇所拥有的几家在中田纳西州的中餐馆在知情的情况下，有意雇佣非法移民以获得廉价劳动力，同时涉及偷税漏税，此后被联邦展开了大规模的调查，并被多重起诉。

此后，Stanley Wang 将他们夫妇名下所有位于中田纳西州的餐馆转让，其中生意最好的Chef Wang以某种方式转让给他的姐夫和外甥。

    Chef Wang是中田纳西州生意最火的中餐自助之一，开业十年左右。不过近年来的雇佣非法移民和这次劳工法违规，都成为田纳西州近年中餐馆违规的恶性案件，值得众多中餐雇主和华人企业老板的反思和借鉴。《田纳西新闻》呼吁华人企业，特别是中餐雇主，遵守美国联邦和当地法律，让华人企业更多地受到社区的正面关注。

The lawsuit comes on the heels of a long-term investigation by officials with the Wage and Hour Division, an arm of the Labor Department that is charged with ensuring companies comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“The Wage and Hour (investigators) found recordkeeping violations stemming principally from the failure to document hours worked by the kitchen staff,” said Michael D’Aquino, a spokesperson with the Office of Public Affairs at the Labor Department.

He said the Labor Department, represented by attorneys Neil A. Morholt and Latasha T. Thomas, is also “seeking an additional equal amount in liquidated damages, as well as an injunction to ensure future compliance.”

According to court documents, defendants Kong Xian Wang and Allen Meng Wang are accused of withholding wages or underpaying employees for more than three years.

“Since at least April 18, 2010, the defendants have willfully and repeatedly violated (labor law) provisions … by failing to pay employees (working for) an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, the applicable minimum hourly rate,” Morholt said in the complaint, which was filed in June in the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee.

During that same time, Morholt said, Kong Wang and Allen Wang required employees to work more than 40 hours a week without compensating them for that time at rates not less than one and one-half times the regular rates, as mandated by federal law.

Kong Wang and Allen Wang also failed “to make, keep and preserve adequate and accurate records of the person employed and of the wages, hours and other conditions and practices of employment maintained by the enterprise, as prescribed in the aforesaid regulations,” Morholt said.

Given the magnitude of the violations, Labor Department officials want Kong Wang and Allen Wang to repay three years of wages and compensation, in addition to any other possible damages.

Although neither Kong Wang nor Allen Wang could be reached for comment, longtime employee Derek Miller, who has served as the general manager for Chef Wang’s since May 2012, insists management follows all labor laws.

“Since I have been the general manager, overtime is always paid,” said Miller, who began his career at Chef Wang’s as a busboy more than five years ago. “I do remember that the Labor Department came here a few years ago to look over a few things, but I have no idea why we would be sued now.”

Even so, this is not the first time that federal authorities have targeted Chef Wang’s over alleged labor law violations.

In June 2008, Chef Wang’s temporarily closed after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided the restaurant and took more than a dozen illegal immigrants into custody. Authorities conducted the sweep after obtaining information that several local Chinese restaurant owners knowingly hired illegal immigrants for cheap labor.