Office
of Labor Standards Reaches its Largest Settlement under Secure Scheduling Law:
Jack in the Box Franchises to Pay Over $172,000 to 569 Seattle Workers
Seattle, WA - (September 16, 2019) - The
Office of Labor Standards (OLS) announces its largest settlement under the
Secure Scheduling Ordinance since the law took effect on July 1, 2017. The
settlement agreement calls for a total financial remedy of $172,619.00 to be
paid out to 569 affected employees of Pars Group, LLC and Northwest Food
Management Group Inc, which operate nine “Jack in the Box” stores in Seattle.
OLS alleged the employer failed to properly post employee work schedules
fourteen days in advance of work shifts; in addition, it allegedly did not pay
premium pay for late work schedule changes and for back-to-back closing/opening
shifts, known as “clopening” shifts.
“Scheduling
is very important to me. It’s difficult to juggle changing shifts. You have to
separate your personal time from your work schedule and how are you going to do
that with a new schedule every week?” said Edward Richard, former employee.
“Seattle
fast food workers were at the forefront of movement for better pay and
standards, now they're at the forefront of enforcing those standards, too. By
standing together and working with the Office of Labor Standards, these workers
held their employers accountable to the high road standards we’ve set as a
city,” said Rachel Lauter, Executive Director of Working Washington & Fair
Work Center. “We thank OLS for their commitment to enforcing Seattle’s labor
and employment laws, and their leadership in ensuring workers have predictable,
flexible, and secure schedules—something we hope all workers in Washington will
soon benefit from.”
The
Secure Scheduling law applies to retail and food services establishments
with more than 500 employees worldwide, and full-service restaurants with more
than 500 employees and more than 40 full-service restaurant locations
worldwide. Please visit the OLS website
to learn more about the Secure Scheduling
ordinance.
To
file a complaint or for questions, workers can contact OLS anonymously at workers.laborstandards@seattle.gov or call
206-256-5297. Employers seeking assistance or in need of information about how
to comply can contact OLS at 206-256-5297 or email us at business.laborstandards@seattle.gov. OLS is
here to help!
