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Five Wingstop Mississippi locations owned by rapper Rick Ross’ family have been fined more than $100,000 for multiple violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The US Department of Labor ordered Boss Wings Enterprises LLC to pay $114,427 in arrears in wages, penalties and civil penalties. The Labor Department said the operator of some of the multinational chain’s aviation restaurants forced employees to pay for their uniforms, safety training, background checks and cash shortages.
In addition, investigators determined that Boss Wings violated child labor regulations.
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Wingstop did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment. Representatives from Boss Wings Enterprises LLC could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
According to officials, Boss Wings violated the minimum wage because some employees’ average hourly rates fell below the state minimum wage requirement of $7.25 after the franchisee deducted costs for uniforms and cash register shortages.
Wingstop sign outside a restaurant in Brooklyn, New York City, November 19, 2021. (Portal/Andrew Kelly / Portal Photos)
Deductions for employee safety training and background checks “illegally lowered pay rates during weeks when workers worked overtime, prompting Boss Wings to pay overtime at lower rates than required by federal law,” according to the Labor Department.
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| ticker | security | Last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WING | WINGSTOP INC | 130.37 | -0.38 | -0.29% |
Investigators also found that in June 2021, a 15-year-old employee had worked several times after 10 p.m. in June 2021, in direct violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) child labor rules. It is illegal for 14- and 15-year-olds to work before 7am or after 7pm from June 1st to Labor Day.
Not only that, but Boss Wings has also failed to keep records of employee hours worked and wage deductions at its five locations.
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“Employees in the restaurant industry work hard, often for low wages, and many depend on every dollar they make to make ends meet,” said Audrey Hall, district director of Mississippi’s Wage and Hour Division, in a statement.
WingStop wing (WingStop)
Wingstop is a Texas-based chain that was founded in 1994. She has more than 1,500 restaurants around the world.
In 2016, it was reported that Rick Ross’ family owned at least nine Wingstop locations. Just last year, Ross posted on Instagram that his son was given one of their locations for his 16th birthday.