Burger King franchises face $2.2 million fine over stolen wages, California agency says

A partnership that once owned six Burger King franchises in San Francisco must pay $2.2 million in a wage theft case, a California agency reported.

Managers at the restaurants didn’t allow meal breaks, altered time cards and refused overtime pay, a ruling by the California Labor Commissioner’s office said.

Fines the state ordered the owners to pay included back wages and interest to 230 workers along with penalties, the ruling said.

“I am happy that justice is being served, and that the state has decided to hold the Burger King franchise owners accountable to workers,” Daniel Marini, a former San Francisco Burger King employee, told The San Francisco Standard.

Colin P. Calvert, attorney for the owners, told McClatchy News that they will appeal the ruling.

“Simply put, we contend the ruling is an inaccurate reflection of the evidentiary record,” Calvert said. “We believe our position will be vindicated on appeal.”

The unpaid wages covered by the ruling span June 2016 until September 2019, the finding said.

Employees at the Burger King franchises told investigators that managers were instructed to keep costs down by working off the clock or altering time cards, the ruling said.

One employee said she was told to start work at 5:30 a.m. to warm up kitchen equipment to open the restaurant at 6 a.m., when her shift actually began, the findings showed.

Other employees also said they were ordered to work off the clock before or after their scheduled shifts and were denied meal breaks, the agency said.

When employee time cards reflected actual hours worked instead of scheduled hours, managers changed them, the ruling said.

The owners no longer operate any Burger King franchises in San Francisco, SFist reported.

This story was originally published January 15, 2023 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Burger King franchises face $2.2 million fine over stolen wages, California agency says."