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July 8, 2019
WHISTLER—Five former workers at a Domino's franchise have received a total of $10,486 after the B.C. Employment Standards Branch ruled the local owner was under-paying staff.
“This is the tip of the iceberg. Wage theft is often a fact of life for precarious workers,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “By making it easier to join a union and fighting for stronger employment standards, workers can end this exploitation once and for all.”
When the complaint was first filed in 2017 and Unifor became involved, the employer (Georgia Pizza Inc.) voluntarily paid $8,942 to settle the complaints. Unifor and the workers determined the amount was insufficient and continued with the case. On May 3, 2019, the Employment Standards Branch found in favour of the five workers and awarded another $1,544 in wages.
In addition to the unpaid wages, the Branch also took the unusual step of fining the employer $2,500 for being in contravention of the following five sections of the B.C. Employment Standards Act:
- Wages (section 16 of the Act)
- Overtime (section 40 of the Act)
- Statutory holiday pay (section 45 of the Act)
- Statutory holiday pay (section 46 of the Act)
- Annual vacation pay (section 58 of the Act)
“This workplace and hundreds of others like it are examples of why we need higher union density and regulations that actively protect workers. All workers have a right to the minimum standards in B.C.’s ESA, and Unifor will fight for those rights,” said Joie Warnock, Unifor’s Western Regional Director. “For more than a decade under the B.C. Liberals, regulations were rarely enforced and the deck was stacked against workers.”
The franchise was located on Main Street in Whistler, British Columbia.
This week another Domino's franchise made headlines in Ontario for similar payroll issues.
For more information, please contact Unifor Communications Representative Ian Boyko at @email or 778-903-6549 (cell).
