Upscale Sushi Restaurant Hit with California Labor Code Allegations

Beverly Hills, CA One might assume that a high-end restaurant, where a typical bill for two routinely tops $1,000, would take very good care of its employees. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for one California sushi bar that is currently fighting alleged violations of California labor law.

Urasawa is both the name of the restaurant and the owner, Hiroyuki Urasawa. The chef has created a brand for himself and is popular amongst well-heeled clientele who regularly visit his establishment in an alcove above Rodeo Drive. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (7/21/13), the pristine sushi bar - described as one of the most renowned sushi restaurants in the US - serves dishes that include caviar and 24-karat gold flakes “for iron.” Patrons spend lavishly and Urasawa is said to spare no expense for his valued guests.

However, it is alleged that his kitchen staff is denied overtime under California labor law, working for the same pay over a 12-hour shift. An investigation by the California Labor Department, according to the Star-Advertiser, found that workers are also denied rest breaks.

Former employee Heriberto Zamora has filed a California labor lawsuit in an effort to secure back wages. The Mexican immigrant worked at Urasawa for a period of five years, starting as a dishwasher and eventually worked his way to food preparation. At his peak, he was making $11.50 per hour.

However, in comments to the Star-Advertiser, Zamora claimed he would routinely put in 60-hour weeks for that rate of pay, without provision for overtime, or meal or rest periods as required under the California labor code. Zamora also describes having to urinate in a sink designed to rinse floor mops after Urasawa allegedly forbade him to use customer restrooms during business hours.

Previously, when Zamora was promoted to food preparation and granted a raise in pay to $9 per hour, he was also allegedly required to buy his own set of knives, costing $700.

“It was always about the customers, making sure that they were happy,” said Zamora, 26, in comments published in the Star-Advertiser. “None of the employees were treated very well. We knew people were paying a lot to eat there, but for us, it was no different.”

One day, after he had been at his station for about nine hours, Zamora began coughing and felt like he was running a fever. He asked to book off sick and return home. The owner, Zamora said, fired him on the spot.

California labor employment law is designed to protect workers’ rights. “There are countless examples in which workers are taking home less than they’ve earned,” said Julie Su, the state labor commissioner. Investigators are said to wait outside, watching workers come and go, comparing what they see to the time records kept on employers’ books. “It’s a perversion of the concept of minimum wage - it goes from being some kind of floor to instead being some kind of ceiling,” Su said.

Urasawa appealed a ruling issued in June, hitting him with a fine of $55,000 for failure to pay overtime under California and labor law, and to provide breaks to Zamora and three others.