Employees of Palm Desert business lost in fire worry about their future

As recovery efforts continue for the owners of four Palm Desert businesses lost in an arson fire earlier this month, some employees are concerned about what comes next for them.

Up until the fire, Mary Saucedo was employed by D’Coffee Bouteaque. She is concerned about her financial situation and being able to pay her bills on time after not having been paid for the last pay period she worked.

News Channel 3 has reached out to the owner of the business for comment, but has not heard back.

Meanwhile, the owner of Papa Dan’s Pizza and Pasta said he has been working to keep up with payroll during these tough times.

“The insurance company will eventually hopefully reimburse a good part of that, but up until now I’ve paid it all out of pocket,” according to Ira Mosley, owner of Papa Dan’s Pizza and Pasta. 

He said he knows it can be difficult finding work in the desert during the slower summer months. “I don’t want to lose all these employees. Some of them have been with me for 35 years,” said Mosley.

Mosley said he has plans to relocate in the same shopping center located off of Monterey Ave. and Country Club Dr. and hopes to reopen by October. He also started a GoFundMe for his employees.

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay non-exempt workers regular wages for the hours they worked up to a disaster, and any overtime hours (those in excess of 40 per week) at one-and-a-half times their regular rate of pay.

Under California labor law, employees must be paid at least twice during each calendar month on the days designated in advance as regular paydays. 

Watch News Channel 3 at 6:00 p.m. for the full report.