By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER EAST SIDE — Daniel Boulud's upscale restaurant company shortchanges workers out of overtime pay and fires workers who blow the whistle on unsanitary conditions, a new lawsuit alleges.
The suit, filed by attorney Maimon Kirschenbaum and first reported on by the Eater blog, alleges that waiters routinely worked overtime without receiving time and a half compensation and had their tips pooled with non-tip dependent employees.
Kirschenbaum also claims that employees at Boulud's restaurants did not pay a "spread of work hours" for work days that went over ten hours daily, the blog reported.
One of the plaintiffs, Arie Ohayon, who was bartender at Cafe Boulud/Bar Pleiades, also claims that he was fired in retribution for writing a letter about a manager's violations of the health code.
According to Ohayon, one of his managers handled ice with her bare hands.
Plaintiffs are seeking back overtime pay and coverage of legal fees in the lawsuit.
