Worker Sues Roberta's, Claims He Was Not Paid Overtime Wages

Roberta's Pizza is a Brooklyn pizzeria legend (after all, they made the top five in our list of the 101 Best Pizzas). But now they've found themselves involved in another legal dispute — this time over alleged unpaid overtime wages.

Ruffino Cano, who has been working at Roberta's since 2009, is suing the Bushwick pizzeria, claiming that the restaurant's owners have not paid him overtime wages to clean, wash dishes, and make pizzas past his regular hours, according to the New York Daily News.

The lawsuit was filed in Brooklyn Federal Court and states that "For [Cano's] work, despite working over 40 hours per week, he is paid at straight-time rates for all hours worked including hours over 40," and "When plaintiff complained to his supervisors... he was told that he is not entitled to overtime because he works 'off the books.'"

New York federal law states that employees who work over 40 hours a week must be compensated at least time-and-a-half for all hours worked outside of the regular workweek, according to the Department of Labor.

We have reached out to Roberta's for comment and have not heard back yet.