A New York pizzeria accused of underpaying workers for years has been ordered to pay $175,000 to nearly a dozen employees "cheated out of their pay," Attorney General Letitia James announced Friday.
At least 10 workers will receive a payout after an investigation by James' office found Gotham Pizza paid under the minimum wage, withheld overtime pay and tips at its three Manhattan locations between 2016 and 2019. The pizzeria sells slices in the Upper East Side, Yorkville and Chelsea.
The investigation found that the pizzeria's employees were being paid an hourly rate between $6 and $10, when their base pay should have been between $11 and $15, James said. The identified workers also didn't received their full tips or pay for working more than 40 works per week, her investigation uncovered.
“No matter how you slice it, fair pay is not a suggestion — it’s the law,” said James. “For years, Gotham Pizza took advantage of its hard-working employees by failing to pay them for their work.
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The attorney general's press release said Gotham Pizza's failure to pay employees the minimum wage and appropriate overtime rates were in violation of the Minimum Wage Order and New York labor laws.
In addition to the $175,000 payout to the 10 workers, the pizzeria must comply with "spot interviews" between staff and the attorney general's office to confirm paychecks are going out in accordance with state law.
