Detroit, MI: Two wage and hour class action action lawsuits have been filed against McDonald' in Michigan claiming the fast food giant is systematically stealing employees' wages by forcing them to work off the clock, shaving hours off their time cards, and not paying them overtime among other practices.
In the lawsuits, filed against McDonald' Corp., its U.S. subsidiary and two Detroit-area franchisees, workers assert McDonald' regularly forces workers to show up for work at a scheduled time but then has them wait without pay until the store gets busy enough, and that it routinely violates minimum wage laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Michigan's minimum wage law.
The suits contend that, using McDonald' franchisor standards and corporation-provided software, McDonald' franchisees closely monitor the ratio of labor costs to revenues. When it exceeds a corporate-set target, managers tell workers arriving for their shifts to wait for up to an hour to clock in, and sometimes direct workers who have already clocked in for scheduled shifts to clock out for extended breaks until the target ratio is again achieved. Workers are not paid for these wait times, and McDonald' Corporation knowingly tolerates this practice, in violation of federal labor law.
The suits also allege that McDonald' forces its low-paid workers to buy their own uniforms. Because McDonald' restaurants pay at or near the minimum wage, this drives some workers' real wages below the legal minimum, in violation of federal labor law.
In addition to James & Hoffman, Michigan McDonald' workers are represented by McKnight, McClow, Canzano, Smith & Radtke, P.C.
