Eva Rodriguez has earned minimum wage at a Subway franchise in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles for more than a decade. She has stocked ingredients, wiped down tables and served thousands of meals in the strip mall shop that is sandwiched between an optical store and a Mediterranean restaurant. Often, she worked 70-hour weeks so her family could afford the basics.

“I’m not someone with a lot of money. I have to fight to eat everyday. I have to fight to have a place to live,” Rodriguez said in Spanish.

Only last year did she learn that she did not have to labor under those conditions — a revelation that led her to accuse the franchise’s owner of violating numerous labor laws. Rodriguez claims her boss forced her to work under two names to avoid paying overtime rates, denied her sick pay, skimmed her tips and threatened her residency status. She is seeking nearly $100,000 in back pay and punitive damages, according to a complaint she filed with the California labor commissioner against the owner, Amarjit Singh, known to workers as “Ms. Happy.” …

Singh declined repeated requests to comment, including one made in a letter hand-delivered to her restaurant. Subway did not respond to requests for comment. …