Restaurant Accused of ‘Slave Wages’

The state’s top prosecutor filed suit against Chinatown’s biggest restaurant, demanding $1.5 million in back pay for 58 waiters who toiled for “slave wages” in the three-story dim sum palace. Atty. Gen. Dennis Vacco’s lawsuit against the Jing Fong restaurant also seeks $400,000 in damages for the waiters, including Sheng Gang Deng, who claims he was fired in 1995 for protesting sweatshop conditions. A restaurant manager said no one was available to comment. The Chinese Staff and Workers Assn., a community group, said Jing Fong managers deducted up to 40% of waiters’ tips and paid them as little as 70 cents an hour for 70-hour weeks with no benefits or overtime.