Workers' rights advocates are condemning what they consider widespread wage theft in the local restaurant industry after 17 Ithaca eateries were found to be in violation of New York State labor laws.
A total of 22 restaurants, many located in or around Ithaca Commons, were targeted in a sweep by investigators with the state Department of Labor in May, and nearly 80 percent of them were cited with violations.
Only five -- Ithaca Diner, Jade Garden, Sangam Indian Curry, Paul's Café and Grill and Pizza Aroma -- were found to be in complete compliance.
Investigators found that $87,925 was owed to 93 employees at six restaurants for failing to pay minimum wage and making illegal deductions from workers' paychecks. Of these, 74 workers were misclassified as "independent contractors" or kept off the books entirely, missing out on nearly $20,000 in wages.
Speaking Thursday at the Tompkins County Workers Center, state labor commissioner Patricia Smith said a total of 30 separate violation citations were issued, and $14,000 has been collected to date.
She said an 80 percent violation rate was high, and that the typical rate was closer to 50 percent.
The violations were discovered after investigators looked into complaints at two other Ithaca restaurants, Taste of Thai and Tamarind, and were repeatedly told the restaurants weren't doing anything different than any others in Ithaca, she said.
"I'm encouraged by the fact that almost one-third of the restaurants we checked were in full compliance with labor laws. To them, I say thank you. Thank you for treating your workers fairly and thank you for playing by the rules," Smith said.
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