x
Breaking News
More () »

T.I. wage theft lawsuit points to bigger problem

Fourteen workers of Scales 925 say the restaurant owes them $106, 686.

When Avery Lee got hired as a bartender at Scales 925 in 2015, he considered it a dream job. “I put 100 percent into it and stayed late nearly every shift,” said Lee.

He wanted to work at the restaurant because it was in a great location and co-owned by Atlanta rapper, T.I. “Naturally being a kid from Atlanta, who doesn’t want to work for T.I.?”

The allure of working for the entertainer slowly faded after he claims T.I., and restaurant co-owner Charles Hughes, stopped paying him over-time when he became a bar manager. According to a lawsuit filed by the Vaughn Law Firm on Lee’s behalf, Scales 925 failed to pay him $27,486 in overtime. In May, a judge ruled in his favor.

Find out whether you’re owed unpaid wages

Workers Owed Wages: http://webapps.dol.gov/wow/

It’s a searchable database for workers to find out whether they have wages owed to them as the result of a Department of Labor Investigation within the past three years. As June, there were more than $3 million dollars of unclaimed wages available to Georgia workers in the database.

Since Lee’s lawsuit, 13 other former Scales 925 employees filed lawsuits claiming unpaid wages, totaling $106,686. The U.S. Department of Labor confirms it has an open investigation into Scales 925 too. 11Alive requested an interview with T.I. and Hughes multiple times by phone, email and in person, but they never responded.

An 11Alive investigation uncovered thousands of other Georgia workers claim their employers haven’t paid them either. According to DOL records, Georgia companies did not pay 89,766 employees more than $62 million since 2000.

“That’s not even the tip of the iceberg once you look at all of the private litigation and then of course all of the violations that go unreported and unremedied,” says Matthew Herrington, a labor and employment attorney in Atlanta.

One of his clients is Jonathan Thomas, a former employee who worked at a company which cleans grease guards on rooftops. He’s suing his former employer for more than $10,000 in unpaid wages.

“Very unfair. I just asked for what I worked for, that’s it. Nothing more, nothing less,” said Thomas.

Stephanie Armstead is a home caregiver suing her former employer for back wages too. She believes she’s owed nearly $21,000.

“Even though I enjoyed what I did, I didn’t want to do it for free,” said Armstead.

The Department of Labor has the authority to levy an $1,100 financial penalty for each wage theft violation the agency finds, but the 11Alive investigators uncovered few companies ever get fined for breaking the rules.

Of the 6,582 Georgia companies the DOL cited for wage theft, just 8 percent were required to pay a fine.

Rachel Mast is a Department of Labor outreach specialist. She argues, while the agency doesn’t always fine employers, it can force companies to pay employees back wages, sometimes more than they’re owed.

“In the wage and hour division, we do everything we can to ensure that workers get a fair days pay for a fair day’s work,” said Mast.

Additionally, Mast explained DOL can only fine an employer if it can prove it was a willful violation or the company is a repeat offender. The agency said it also seeks liquidated damages for employees, which is an equal amount in back wages owed.

Employees see it differently. “If it was vice versa, when employees steal, they make sure you get punished for it. They don’t have any problem calling law enforcement,” said Lee.

“We are required to enforce the laws and to proceed in our investigation based upon what the law allows us to do.” Mast said.

Think you’re a victim of wage theft? Watch this video:

Contact the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division
Phone: 1-866-4 US WAGE

Online: https://www.dol.gov/wecanhelp/howtofilecomplaint.htm

File a lawsuit: Federal law allows employees to sue for back wages and attorney fees. So, even if your employer owes you just a few hundred dollars, it’s worth reaching out to an attorney.

Find out whether you’re owed unpaid wages

Workers Owed Wages: http://webapps.dol.gov/wow/

It’s a searchable database for workers to find out whether they have wages owed to them as the result of a Department of Labor Investigation within the past three years. As June, there were more than $3 million dollars of unclaimed wages available to Georgia workers in the database.

Do you a story idea for 11Alive Investigative Reporter Andy Pierrotti? Email him or message him on Facebook. You can also follow his investigations on Twitter.

Before You Leave, Check This Out