The operator of more than 20 Massachusetts Dunkin’ franchises, accused of wage theft and labor law violations, faces more than $1 million in penalties, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced Friday.
One hundred employees must be paid restitution, Campbell's office said Thursday.
Prosecutors said that they'd imposed $1.46 million in citations against Dunkin’ franchise operator Northern Management Group LLC and three managers, as well as staffing agencies D&J Services Group LLC and Prime Management Services Corp. and their manager. Officials said they found violations of employment laws on employee classification, paying wages on time and properly notifying temporary workers of new assignments.
Workers at the at the franchises in the Greater Boston area were improperly classified as independent contractors despite working jobs like store managers, shift leaders and bakers, according to the attorney general's office. That meant they lost out on employee protection rules.
Employees were also regularly paid late, and weren't paid for travel between franchises, both of which aren't allowed in the Bay State, prosecutors said.
“Workers deserve timely paychecks and the protections afforded to them under state law. Anything less is unacceptable,” Campbell said in a statement.
Anyone who thinks their labor rights have been violated in Massachusetts was urged to file a complaint with the attorney general's Fair Labor Division.
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