Urasawa Under Investigation

Urasawa is famous for their expensive and elaborate Japanese cuisine that can often cost a dinner for two upwards of $1,000. It came as a surprise to many then when The New York Times reported that accusations were surfacing that workers were being denied overtime wages.

Apparently, in addition to a denial of overtime pay, workers were not allowed to take breaks. The California Labor Department conducted an investigation that lead to such reports, and Ursawa is under attack for withholding tens of thousands of dollars from workers.

One of the former employees, Heriberto Zamora, was fired for asking to go home because he was sick. He told The New York Times "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."

The case has implications on immigrant working conditions at other restaurants as well, with many saying that this treatment is typical for employees in similar jobs.