AUSTIN -- More than 200 people could join a class action lawsuit against the owner of several Austin nightclubs.
Some current and former employees of eight downtown Austin nightclubs owned by Yassine Enterprises claim the company didn't pay them a dime. A former employee of Roial filed the lawuit and is being represented by Dan Byrne.
In Texas, bartenders, waiters and waitresses can make the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or agree to a wage of $2.13 an hour plus tips. That's what the former employee of Roial thought he was earning during his several months at the club.
"When his employment ended, he went in to the human resource person and made an inquiry, 'Where is my paycheck?" said Dan Byrne, the attorney representing the claimants in the class action lawsuit. "He was told, 'We do not issue paychecks.'"
The employee did not know he had been working for tips only.
"No wages, no paycheck, nothing," said Byrne. "This is pretty rare. You see these federal wage cases on a fairly regular basis but zero wages being paid, I have never seen it before."
Roial is one of eight establishments named in the class action suit. All are owned by Mike Yassine of Yassine Enterprises. An attorney representing Yassine released a statement saying, in part, "...Yassine is cooperating in the class action and is committed to complying with all laws regarding the payment of tipped employees. We are not commenting on the merits of the Plaintiff's wage claims in the lawsuit..."
Bartender Danny Langley doesn't work for Yassine Enterprises but says he's concerned for those who do.
"I have got friends of mine that work at Pure, one of the bars that is in question," said Langley. "They do not know what is going to happen."
At the moment, there are nine people who have joined the class action lawsuit. The attorneys for the claimants are hoping the hundreds of notices they've sent out will result in many former and current employees opting in.
