During the course of 4,000 investigations into the 20 largest fast-food brands carried out by the Department of Labor, only 40% of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. stores were in full compliance with the law. In total, these investigations lead to the discovery of more than 68,000 FLSA violations and some $14 million in back wages recovered for about 57,000 employees.
Think Progress • Kira Lerner and Alice Ollstein
Johaunna Cromer never thought she would work at a fast food restaurant. A college graduate, trained psychologist, and former member of the Air Force, she said she used to believe fast food employees were mostly teenagers trying to supplement their allowance.
But in 2014, when her family moved to Asheville, North Carolina to be close to relatives, Cromer ended up taking a position as a manager at a Hardee’s restaurant near her home. Counseling jobs were hard to find, and she needed quick money to support her two children.
The position proved far more trying than she’d ever imagined. Continue Reading
Salon • Sofia Tesfaye
David Weil, the outgoing administrator of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, has offered perhaps the strongest warning of any Obama administration official aimed at the incoming Trump administration: Do not roll back protections for workers. Weil oversaw strategic enforcement initiatives that are now in limbo and could be withdrawn by a new administrator.
“What does making America great again mean?” Weil asked, expressing concern that Andy Puzder, the fast food executive President-elect Trump has nominated to be labor secretary, will undermine efforts to crack down on widespread wage violations. Continue Reading
Bloomberg BNA • Ben Penn
CKE Restaurants Inc., the conglomerate helmed by Labor Secretary-designate Andrew Puzder, notified 51 workers Jan. 3 that they will be laid off in March when the company relocates to Nashville, Tenn., according to a letter obtained by Bloomberg BNA.
A former CKE senior management employee who worked directly with Puzder at earlier stages of the relocation process spoke with Bloomberg BNA on condition of anonymity. The source alleged Puzder kept employees out of the loop when the company in 2011 was being wooed by Texas officials to move to the Lone Star State.
Puzder “never wanted to do any internal messaging about it,” said the former company director. Rather than keep employees informed, “his choice was always: ‘they don’t need to know; they just need to know where to show up to work,’ ” added the source, who was laid off by Puzder several years ago and acknowledged harboring “strong feelings” about the company.
The Huffington Post • Emily Peck
Puzder, CEO of the company that operates burger chains Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, has been outspoken on a few issues. He doesn’t want to raise the minimum wage. He really dislikes Obamacare.
What, then, does he like?
Hot women in bikinis eating burgers.
Part of Puzder’s job as labor secretary would include protecting women’s rights in the workplace. He would oversee the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau, which advocates for equal pay and offers resources for women discriminated against at work.
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