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FOR ALLEGED NON-PAYMENT OF MINIMUM WAGE, OT
4 poker arcade cashiers sue employer
Four poker arcade cashiers have filed a complaint in federal court against an operator of video poker arcades for allegedly not paying them the minimum wage and overtime compensation.
Katrina Del Gallego Demapan, Ma. Gina Tiozon, Mary Zine G. Muhi, and Emelinda E. Sanchez are suing Zeng’s American Corp., owner of Happy Poker, and Zeng American Corp.’s principal, Jin Dong Zeng, for alleged violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Demapan, Muhi, and Sanchez are current employees of defendants, while Tiozon is a former employee.
Demapan, Tiozon, Muhi, and Sanchez, through counsel Mark B. Hanson, asked the U.S. District Court for the NMI to hold the defendants liable to pay them the minimum wage and overtime premium for all hours they worked, damages, attorney’s fees, and court costs.
According to Hanson in the complaint, from February 2014 through February 2016, Demapan and Muhi worked 12 hours per day, seven days per week and defendants paid them a monthly salary of $1,500.
From April 2015 through Feb. 2016, Sanchez worked 12 hours per day, seven days per week and defendants paid her a monthly salary of $1,500.
From February 2016 through March 2017, Demapan, Muhi, and Sanchez each worked eight hours per day, seven days per week and defendants paid them each a monthly salary of $1,000.
During the entire term of her employment, Tiozon worked 12 hours per day, seven days per week and defendants paid her a monthly salary of $1,500.
On several occasions, Hanson said, defendants would deduct various amounts from the cashiers’ salary for cash register shortages.
Hanson said defendants also required the cashiers each to make a large “deposit” to defendants as funds from which to deduct from them for cash register shortages.
The lawyer said the deductions and deposits required by defendants effectively decreased the cashiers’ minimum hourly wage and overtime premiums that are mandated by FLSA.
