Jessica Looman, acting administrator of the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, said during the webinar, the DOL finds more wage and hours violations in food service than in any other industry. According to OFW's data, 46% of restaurant workers reported their employers did not pay time-and-a-half when working overtime. More than a third of surveyed workers said their tips did not bring their wages up to the minimum wage. Looman emphasized the DOL's role in punishing wage theft, citing an incident in Framingham, Massachusetts, where the Wage and Hour Division recovered $307,000 in back wages for 14 workers at a single pizzeria. Another potential case was brought up during the event when a New York restaurant worker complained he was expected to work 13-hour shifts without breaks. Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage, said 2021 has seen "a real uptick in violations," assertions backed by the nonprofit's survey where 34% of respondents said they experienced more violations of their rights in 2021 than 2020. OFW argues these issues, among many other labor concerns, are driving restaurant workers to leave the industry, which is already struggling with retention. At least 54% of workers in restaurants have considered leaving their jobs, OFW said, with more than three-quarters saying they would stay for a higher wage. The industry, by some measures, employs a million fewer workers than before the pandemic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, upwards of 40,000 workers left the food service industry in August, the first net job loss for restaurants in 2021. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said during the webinar the pandemic's economic shock hit restaurant workers especially hard. "They're disproportionately women and workers of color," Walsh said. "The economic downturn, combined with conditions in the

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