Following two wage thefts reported by employees at the East Washington Burger King, members and supporters of the Workers' Rights Center rallied at the fast food restaurant Thursday.
One worker filed the complaint because she was promised a raise she never received while the other worked at the location for a week but was never paid, WRC Director Patrick Hickey said. The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Workforce Development received the complaints.
The division’s decision-making process can take up to several months, Hickey said. In the interest of paying the workers the wages they say are owed, WRC hosted the rally and picket outside the restaurant.
“The company could actually pay them today,” Hickey said. “This is money they were expecting to pay their rent and pay for food … They don’t get paid much to start with, but now they’re not even getting that little bit. It’s pretty frustrating and outrageous.”
Hickey blames the store’s disorganization and mismanagement for the oversight. He said there have been managers who were unable to effectively communicate with the corporate headquarters. This, paired with a delay in action, caused WRC to become concerned.
“They have not been aware of it for quite a few weeks, so it’s unclear as to why they’re being so slow to resolve it,” Hickey said.
Referring to Burger King once as “Burgler” King, Hickey said in a press release that he hopes the company will pay their workers what was promised.
