EUGENE, OR – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found an Oregon-based Korean barbeque chain restaurant violated federal law when it allowed a teen employee to work more than permissible hours, denied workers overtime pay, and improperly kept employees’ tips.Investigators from the department’s Wage and Hour Division discovered that the owners of Kkoki Korean BBQ allowed a 15-year-old employee to regularly work more than three hours on school days, past 9 p.m. between June 1 and Labor Day, and more than 40 hours in a workweek, all violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Additionally, the employer failed to provide overtime pay for employees’ hours worked over 40 in a workweek and permitted a restaurant manager to unlawfully participate in the employee tip pool and retain tips that belonged exclusively to the tipped employees. The investigation resulted in the recovery of $58,569 in back wages for 32 workers, along with $38,416 in civil money penalties for repeated and willful violations, as well as child labor violations.Workers and employers can call the Wage and Hour Division with questions and requests for compliance assistance at its toll-free helpline, 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers are encouraged to use the agency’s industry-specific compliance assistance toolkits to learn about their responsibilities under the laws enforced by the division. The agency’s PAID program offers employers an opportunity to self-report and resolve potential minimum wage and overtime violations under the FLSA, as well as certain potential violations under the Family and Medical Leave Act.Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool that workers can use if they think they may be owed back wages collected by the division. Download the agency’s free timesheet app for iOS and Android devices to track hours and pay.# # #