Waffle House Under Fire For Mandatory Meal Deductions From Workers' Paychecks
HuffPost
A Georgia worker explains why she went on strike over the policy: “Why am I paying for food I’m not eating?”
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.
