23 Domino’s to pay $448K for underpaying employees
Six Domino’s Pizza franchisees agreed to pay a total $448,000 for underpaying employees across 23 stores in New York, including three in Westchester County.
The wage violations varied by location, but included paying sub-minimum wages, withholding overtime pay and failing to reimburse vehicle expenses, according to an investigation by Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman.
“The violations in these cases demonstrate a statewide pattern of Domino”™s franchisees flouting the law and illegally chiseling at the pay of minimum-wage workers, who struggle to survive as it is,”  Schneiderman said in a press release. “My office will be relentless in pursuing fast-food employers that underpay the hardworking people who are the backbone of their operations.”
John Cilmi, who owns eight restaurants including ones in Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and Yonkers, will pay a $100,000 fee, the second highest among the six franchise owners.
The total amount paid by the owners will be split among approximately 750 employees. Depending on the circumstances of their employment, each will receive between $200 and $2,000.
The settlements are the third to come out of Schneiderman’s investigation into fast-food employers’ labor law compliance. Last week, a McDonald’s owner agreed to pay $500,000 for alleged labor violations and in December, a Manhattan Domino’s Pizza store owner agreed to reinstate 25 employees.