(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Seven former Employees of Buffalo’s Rowhouse Bakery & Restaurant have filed suit in the U.S. District Court alleging its owners - Sean Tuohey, Myriah Jaworski, and Mark Jaworski, kept tips intended for Employees, required Workers to work off the clock, and refused to pay them for overtime, extra-long shifts and benefits that were promised to them, as required by law.

Myriah Jaworski, one of the defendants in the suit, is a former Department of Justice attorney who advises companies on legal compliance, including, among other issues, "Employee Relations."

The Workers allege that Jaworski, Tuohey and Jaworski were well aware that they had been engaging in illegal employment practices since opening over one year ago.  “We knew something was very wrong.  Some of us spoke up to Mark, Sean, and Myriah, but nothing ever changed,” said Dan Snyder, former Bar Manager and plaintiff.

Several plaintiffs report that the owners regularly forced them to work off the clock.

“They told us that we had to clock out well before finishing our shifts,” said Josh Nuncio, former Bartender and a plaintiff. “We worked countless hours for Rowhouse for free.”

When an Employee asked Jaworksi, another defendant in the suit, why Rowhouse was stealing tips and refusing to pay for work done, he stated that he felt servers’ pockets were getting too fat, and that he needed to adjust their pay according to what he felt they deserved.

Rowhouse also took advantage of its paying customers.

“They would charge customers gratuities on top of their bills and instead of giving us those tips that were meant for us, the owners kept the money for themselves,” said Kira Allen, a former Bar Manager and plaintiff.

The former Employees want the public to be aware of how their gratuities have been misappropriated by Rowhouse.

“Employers like Rowhouse prey upon a culture of silence that exists in the restaurant industry,” said Emily Staebell, a law student representing the plaintiffs. “The defendants knew that they were violating the law and they thought they could get away with it.”

“The defendants chose to pad their profits by stealing from Workers,” said Patrick Hoover, another law student representing the former Employees. “Our clients are sending a strong message that service industry employees have legal rights that must be respected.”

Plaintiffs are represented by the Community Justice Clinic of the University at Buffalo School of Law.