(Source: The Gainesville Sun, April 5, 2013)
The Gainesville Sun’s recent coverage of wage theft in Alachua County has led the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to plan an upcoming investigation into the issue in the Gainesville-area restaurant industry.
The Jacksonville district office of the Wage and Hour Division plans to launch an investigation to determine if wage theft is a problem among local restaurants, said District Director Michael Young. The office decided to investigate as a result of The Sun’s reporting.
Common forms of wage theft include mandatory off-the-clock work and tips-only compensation. The Alachua County Commission is considering an ordinance that would allow the county to mediate worker-employer disputes over unpaid wages.
Typically, the Jacksonville district office targets a specific industry or geographical area for investigation — in this case, both — to determine whether wage theft is widespread. If the initial investigation indicates a problem, the office will expand its investigation accordingly to cover more establishments or a wider region.
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