According to a report from the Long Island Business Journal, “The U.S. Department of Labor is suing the owners of Mama’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Copiague for not paying its workers proper wages and overtime pay.”

“Owners Gaetano Pinello and Grace Pinello of Martino’s Pizzeria, which operates Mama’s, are being sued for possible violations of the minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the Labor Department announced Wednesday.”

“The suit comes after an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division based in Westbury that discovered that about 24 employees working at the restaurant were required to work more than 40 hours during many weeks without being properly compensated for overtime hours. In addition, many of the workers were not being paid the federal minimum wage and that the Pinellos did not keep proper records regarding the hours employees worked, their rates of pay or other conditions of their employment.”

“The FLSA requires that employees be paid at least $7.25 an hour as well as 1 1/2 times their regular pay rate for hours worked over 40 per week. It also requires accurate record keeping of employee wages and hours.”

“The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, seeks to order the Pinellos to pay the employees wage and overtime back pay due, along with an equal amount in liquidated damages or prejudgment interest.”

“The restaurant declined to comment on the lawsuit,” the story said.