SPENCER, Iowa -- A dozen workers at a Spencer Taco Bell restaurant were awarded more than $22,000 in back wages and damages after a federal investigation determined their manager was shorting their hours on time cards.

The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division recovered $22,744 -- $11,372 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages -- for the 12 workers at the Taco Bell, 320 11th St. SW.

Investigators examining pay records from Dec. 5, 2020, through May 21, 2022, found the manager deducted time from the workers' time cards before submitting the hours to the corporate office for processing, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wage provisions.

"This case shows the costly consequence of totaling hours worked incorrectly," Wage and Hour District Director Marietta Taylor, of Des Moines, said in a news release. "Employers must maintain accurate records of hours worked in order to pay employees what the law requires. When they fail to do so, they deny hard-working employees all of the wages that they are due."

No other actions will be taken against the restaurant or the manager, a Department of Labor spokesman said.

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