Operators of a Phoenix area fast-food chain have threatened several employees who said they were shorted on their paychecks, often using the state Labor Department s complaint process to withhold wages.
What happened at four Yogis Grills exposes limits in what the state can do to protect workers and their pay, according to an investigation by The Arizona Republic.
The operators, Jason Hill and his wife, Heather Seo, appear to have turned disputes with mostly low-wage workers into a business strategy. It has enabled them to intimidate employees into taking less than what they say they are owed, records and interviews show.
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Jan 6 (Reuters) - Miguel Cabezola, a driver for United Parcel Service Inc in Tucson, Arizona, complained on March 27 to U.S. workplace safety regulators, alleging the company was taking a lax approach to social distancing, sanitizing equipment and quarantining workers with COVID-19 symptoms. He hoped for an inspection of the facility that would force changes to protect worker safety.
Instead, the state arm of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) summarized Cabezola’s concerns in an email to company management, reviewed the UPS response and closed the file.
Over the next two months, a COVID-19 outbreak infected more than 40 Tucson UPS workers - including a manager who eventually died - and caused delivery delays throughout southern Arizona, according to interviews with six Tucson UPS workers and local union officials of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
REUTERS REPORT-Regulators Ignored Workers’ COVID-19 Safety Complaints Amid Deadly Outbreaks
Miguel Cabezola, a driver for United Parcel Service Inc. in Tucson, Arizona, complained on March 27 to U.S. workplace safety regulators, alleging the company was taking a lax approach to social distancing, sanitizing equipment and quarantining workers with COVID-19 symptoms. He hoped for an inspection of the facility that would force changes to protect worker safety.
Instead, the state arm of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) summarized Cabezola’s concerns in an email to company management, reviewed the UPS response and closed the file.
Over the next two months, a COVID-19 outbreak infected more than 40 Tucson UPS workers – including a manager who eventually died – and caused delivery delays throughout southern Arizona, according to interviews with six Tucson UPS workers and local union officials of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Special Report-US regulators ignored workers COVID-19 safety complaints amid deadly outbreaks Toggle share menu
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REUTERS: Miguel Cabezola, a driver for United Parcel Service Inc in Tucson, Arizona, complained on March 27 to U.S. workplace safety regulators, alleging the company was taking a lax approach to social distancing, sanitizing equipment and quarantining workers with COVID-19 symptoms. He hoped for an inspection of the facility that would force changes to protect worker safety.
Instead, the state arm of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) summarized Cabezola s concerns in an email to company management, reviewed the UPS response and closed the file.
Special Report: U S regulators ignored workers COVID-19 safety complaints amid deadly outbreaks reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.