Wingstop employees who suffered from wage theft will benefit from a $1.7 million settlement — yet more proof that employees who stand up against wrongdoing can be made whole.

The California Labor Commission announced the settlement, which pays affected workers $5 for every $1 originally due to them. The case affects about 550 employees of a Wingstop franchisee who owns five locations in Bakersfield.

It all started with a tip from one of the chicken restaurants. Ultimately, investigators found that the owner had schemed to pay workers less by disguising his ownership of the five locations. The owner treated each location as a separate employer, even though he ran all of them and shared employees among the locations. The benefit was financial: Workers were paid a lower minimum wage intended for businesses with 25 or fewer employees.

The owner also circumvented worker protections using scheduling ploys, according to the labor department. When employees worked at more than one Wingstop location — yet surpassed eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week — the owner denied them overtime pay. He created schedules that switched staff member locations at times that let him avoid paying meal break premiums, and he did not pay them for time spent traveling between locations.

All told, citations covered minimum wage violations, contract wage violations, meal period premiums, liquidated damages and waiting time penalties. 

Calling wage theft a “serious crime,” Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower emphasized that the office will enforce monetary consequences on law breakers.

If your employer is treating you unfairly — or you suspect wrongdoing — don’t suffer silently. Keller Grover offers free, confidential consultations to help workers better understand their rights, protections and options.

In more than 25 years litigating fraud and employment cases, we have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients and class members. We can advocate for you.