Wurtsboro, NY – A former dishwasher who worked for Pasta D’Oro is suing the restaurant for minimum wage violations and failure to pay premium overtime wages for all hours worked over 40 in a week.

Pasta D’Oro is owned by Edison Narkaj and Christian Dushaj. According to its website, Pasta D’Oro has two locations – one in Wurtsboro and one at the Jolly Onion in Pine Island. They also own D’Oro Steakhouse in Pine Bush.

The Plaintiff was paid a day rate for his work and alleges that he regularly worked more than 40 hours a week. As a result of his long hours, his hourly rate came out to less than the New York State minimum wage, and he was not paid overtime at the rate of time-and-one-half for hours worked beyond 40 hours in a week.

New York State also generally requires workers who are paid the minimum wage and who work 10 or more hours in a day to be paid an extra hour of pay at the minimum wage rate, known as Spread of Hours pay. Although the plaintiff regularly worked more than 10 hours in a day, Pasta D’Oro failed to provide this pay.

Additionally, Pasta D’Oro failed to provide its employees a copy of a wage notice in English and Spanish as required by state law and failed to provide them wage statements that included the hours worked and rate of pay.

The Plaintiff is seeking to have the case certified as a New York State class action to represent all Pasta D’Oro workers who suffered the same violation. The case also asserts claims under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

“In a time where workers can barely get by on the minimum wage, the owners of Pasta D’Oro are enriching themselves by failing to pay their workers even the very minimum they are due,” says attorney Victoria Morrell. “We are proud to represent these brave restaurant workers who are standing up for their right to fair pay.”

The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and is titled Pineda v. Pasta D’Oro, LLC, 1:26-cv-04350, (S.D.N.Y.).