McDonald’s, 51-35 Northern Blvd. (GMaps)
Nov. 27, 2019 By Kristen Torres
The owner of five McDonald’s franchise locations in Queens has been ordered to pay $155,000 to his employees in restitution for violating city labor laws, according to the mayor’s office Tuesday.
An investigation by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) revealed Thomas Parker — of Star Parker LLC — violated his employees’ rights to a predictable work schedule, along with denying paid and sick leave.
Parker retaliated against employees who confronted him about the violations by reducing their shifts and even firing a worker, according to DCWP findings.
The five McDonald’s locations run by Parker include three in Jamaica, one in Woodside — located at 51-35 Northern Boulevard — and one at 31-67 Steinway Street in Astoria, according to a spokesperson for the mayor’s office.
“Make no mistake: in our city, fast food workers have the right to predictable schedules and paid safe and sick leave,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement. “No worker should be afraid to exercise their rights, and any corporation that retaliates against workers will be met with the full force of the law.”
The Fair Workweek Law went into effect in November 2017. It gave fast food employees in New York City the right to know when and how often they will be scheduled, along with the opportunity to work newly available shifts before a company hires new workers, according to the statement.
Star Parker LLC must now pay $500 to 278 employees, with two workers who experience retaliation to get about $13,500.
Star Parker will now have to retain an independent compliance monitor as part of the settlement to ensure compliance with the city’s workplace law. The firm will also have to train managers and supervisors on the city’s Fair Workweek and Paid Safe and Sick Leave laws.
“It is unacceptable that employers continue to retaliate against employees for exercising their rights,” said DCWP Commissioner Lorelei Salas. “Let this settlement be an example to all employers who think they are about the law — you are not.”
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12 Comments
They should convert them into cooperatives and give them to the employees.
Teach these people a lesson.
Just make your own burger at home. Buy some grass fed beef and voila you got yourself a healthier burger!
This type of fast food is garbage, poison to the human body and a cheap way to kill yourself!
Avoid fast food at all costs, don’t end up as a statistic suffering from obesity, diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, and cardio-vascular disease. This slop is worse than crack or heroin, completely legal and is being fed not only to adults but to helpless children who have no choice.
Burger King is phasing out of the New York market; franchises in Flushing, Jamaica, and Elmhurst have closed down in recent years as more people become aware of the importance of a healthy diet.
McDonald’s should be next to leave New York.
Don’t waste your money on poison!
Person posting as OscarDeGrouch – Just because someone hires people does not give them a right to violate the law and rip off employees or customers. How gullible has Fox News made you?
Oscar-Here are the states where populations declined from July 2017 to July 2018:US Census
Wyoming. Population loss: 1,197 people. …
Connecticut. Population loss: 1,215 people. …
Alaska. Population loss: 2,348 people. …
Mississippi. Population loss: 3,133 people. …
Hawaii. Population loss: 3,712 people. …
Louisiana. …
West Virginia. ..
You don’t get more business friendly than Republican strongholds of Alaska, Wyoming, Mississippi, And Louisiana,. The overwhelming majority of New Yorkers moving out are people escaping harsh winters and using windfalls from home sales and pensions and savings from higher than average wages to exploit “red” state cheap labor and home prices created by Republican policies that keep people poor and without the opportunity of upward social and economic mobility.
hey guy want to go bargain basement. Kiosks kiosks period
They will all be replaced by Amazon robots soon.
The first line of defense for the working class is having businesses that hire. New York is actively repressing the business climate in every manner possible, and the statistics of people leaving the city and state prove it.
Hahah above the law… It’s because Parker didn’t payoff the people making the law. Don’t be fooled DiBlasio and his clowns have a price. Parker just didn’t figure it out yet.
That isn’t much.
Organized Labor needs to make a big comeback in America.
It’s the last line of defense for the working class.
This is a sad story with a happy ending. Often times franchises tend to steer from city/state laws because most fast food workers are afraid to speak up since there a franchiseto begin with. This jerk Thomas parker is a shitty person every single worker be-it fast food or white collar deserve a sense of dignity. Very Shameful.