A union that’s organizing Waffle House workers filed a petition with the Labor Department on Monday, asking federal officials to investigate the iconic chain’s policy of deducting mandatory meal costs from workers’ paychecks.
Waffle House takes at least $3 for each on-shift meal out of workers’ pay, whether they end up eating it or not, according to the petition from the Union of Southern Service Workers. The USSW called it “especially alarming” since many workers are paid a tipped sub-minimum wage “as low as $2.90 per hour,” not including gratuities.
Three workers at a restaurant in Georgia walked off the job Monday for a one-day strike in protest of the policy, the union said.
The group said that many workers don’t have the time or desire to eat off the Waffle House menu every shift and that they often end up working through what should be their breaks.
“Waffle House is deducting their workers’ wages for meals that are ultimately being sold to customers at retail price,” the petition states.
Waffle House did not respond to a request for comment.
It is generally legal for employers to deduct the cost of employee meals, but they must be provided “at cost” and not at a profit to the company. A charge of $3 would be below the Waffle House menu price, but high if the meal isn’t eaten.
The union asked the Labor Department’s wage and hour division to determine the “actual cost” of the meal and whether Waffle House is overcharging employees.
“Waffle House gets enough money out of us.”
– Cindy Smith, Georgia Waffle House worker
Cindy Smith, a server at a Waffle House in Conyers, Georgia, told HuffPost she usually doesn’t eat the meal she’s charged for. She typically works 30 to 40 hours a week and sees $12 to $15 taken out of her pay for the food, according to the union’s petition.
Smith said she and two other employees at her restaurant notified their manager on Monday that they were striking for the day. She said they walked out…
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