Two owners of Domino”™s pizza franchises in Westchester and the Hudson Valley have agreed to pay a total of $735,000 to settle charges of labor law violations brought by New York Attorney Eric T. Schneiderman in his continuing investigation of the national fast-food chain.
Domino”™s franchisees Robert Cookston and Ammar Jali were among five current and former franchise owners with whom the attorney general”™s office recently reached settlements totaling $970,000 in restitution for admitteded labor law violations at 35 stores statewide from 2008 through last year. Employers were cited for infractions that included underpaid or unpaid wages, overtime and reimbursements for use of personal vehicles.
The largest franchisee, Cookston, agreed to a $675,000 settlement. Cookston owns 18 stores in the metropolitan New York area, including five Domino”™s franchises in Westchester and Orange counties.
Jali, who will pay $60,000 in restitution, formerly owned six Domino”™s stores in Dutchess, Orange and Rockland counties, according to the attorney general”™s office.
Schneiderman last year announced settlements with another seven Domino”™s pizza franchise owners, who operated a total of 26 stores and agreed to pay restitution totaling $488,000. To date, owners investigated by the attorney general have admitted labor law violations at 57 of Domino”™s approximately 130 franchisee-owned stores statewide.
Schneiderman issued a stern message to the head of Domino”™s Pizza LLC with the latest settlement announcement. It read:
“In the past two years, the owners of over 50 New York Domino”™s franchise locations have admitted to violations of some of the most basic labor law protections ”“ an appalling record of ongoing disregard for workers”™ rights. Franchisors like Domino”™s need to step up to the plate and fix this problem. Franchisors routinely visit franchise stores to monitor operations ”“ down to the number of pepperonis on each pizza ”“ to protect their brand, and yet they turn a blind eye to illegal working conditions. My message for Domino”™s CEO Patrick Doyle is this: To protect the Domino”™s brand, protect the basic rights of the people who wear the Domino”™s uniform, who make and deliver your pizzas.”
