Toremac LLC, a company operating several restaurants in the Bloomington area, failed to pay overtime and properly record daily hours for back-of-house employees, according to an investigation by the US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
Investigators found Toremac LLC was paying cooks and dishwashers a set salary — the same amount regardless of the number of hours worked — as they failed to record daily hours that were worked by these employees. Consequently, Toremac LLC also failed to pay employees overtime for working more than the 40 hours a workweek as required for most workers in the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Non-exempt employees were affected by the violations at Spencer, IN, and Bloomington El Ranchero locations, Papi Chulo’s and La Una Cantinas.
Bloomington El Ranchero locations previously received critical health violations in a food inspection report released by Monroe County Health Department for Dec. 2022. The 3615 W. State Rd. location received violations for improper thawing of chicken and lack of chemical sanitizer. The 110 E Winslow Rd. location received violations for mold buildup on soda and ice machines, lack of a sanitization bucket while cooking and improper contamination protection for handles of cooking utensils.
In resolution, Toremac LLC paid $50,566 in back wages and liquidated damages to 30 employees affected, according to the US Department of Labor news brief. The company also paid $35,610 in civil money penalties which the Wage and Hour Division assessed for willful Fair Labor Standards Act violations.
