It is unlikely that many patrons of the Subway sandwich shops located in New York spend much time thinking about how much those who work there are paid. As is turns out however, in many cases the workers are not being paid enough. A recent analysis of data from the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, found that in the course of a 13 year period beginning in 2000, Subways located throughout the nation accumulated more than 17,000 Fair Labor Standards Act violations.
One type of violation commonly seen concerned overtime pay. More specifically the business failed to pay the appropriate overtime rate. This practice is not legal and could lead to legal action.
Individuals who work at Subways located in the state of New York are protected by both federal as well as state wage and hour laws. Under these laws employees classified as nonexempt must be paid at least minimum wage for a 40 hour workweek. Any hours beyond that 40 should be paid at time and a half.
Subway’s CEO recently addressed the matter. Despite the fact that the business reported many more wage and hour issues than other fast food restaurants, he indicated that most of the owners of the business were paying workers correctly. He attributed some of the problems to owners who are new to the business.
Any worker who believes he or she has not received the overtime they deserve should contact an employment law attorney. Working together they may be able to recover the funds they have earned.
Source: CNNMoney, “Subway CEO: ‘No excuse’ for wage violations,” Annalyn Kurtz, May 9, 2014
