Leo’s Coney Island Owner Ordered to Pay More Than $500K to Michigan Workers

If you put in more than 40 hours a week, you expect that overtime pay to show up on your check. Apparently, that didn't happen at four Leo's Coney Island restaurants in Southeast Michigan.

According to CBS News, the owner of four Leo's Coney Island restaurants in Clarkston, Dearborn, Livonia, and Sterling Heights must pay $515,857 in back overtime wages and damages to 143 employees.

Why Was the Leo's Coney Island Owner Ordered to Pay?

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The Labor Department says employees weren't getting the overtime pay they were entitled to. Instead of being paid time-and-a-half after 40 hours, investigators say they kept getting their regular hourly rate.

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You'd think getting caught once would be enough. But according to the Labor Department, the owner agreed to follow federal overtime laws back in 2018, and investigators say the violations still continued for years afterward.

Did Leo's Coney Island Keep Two Sets of Timecards?

Investigators say the restaurants kept two different sets of timecards: one for regular hours and another for overtime.

So what does it all add up to? More than $515,000 going to 143 employees, plus nearly $74,000 in civil penalties and $10,000 in attorney fees.

One last thing. This only applies to the four Leo's Coney Island locations in Clarkston, Dearborn, Livonia, and Sterling Heights. It doesn't affect every Leo's restaurant in Michigan.