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Coney Island Wahlburgers Hit With Wage Theft Lawsuit By Ex-Employees
By
David Colon
Published Aug 19, 2016
Modified Aug 19, 2016
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By
David Colon
Published Aug 19, 2016
Modified Aug 19, 2016
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Five ex-employees of the Coney Island Wahlburgers are putting a Big Hit on the franchise with a lawsuit that claims management has caused them Max Payne due to "rampant" wage theft and other labor law violations, according to court papers obtained by the Daily News.
The lawsuit lays out a Perfect Storm of labor law violations, including allegations that managers at the fast casual burger chain haven't paid employees for all the hours they've worked, didn't pay them for overtime, forced them to participate in a tip pool and even took $3,000 in tips from employees after a cast party for Blue Bloods held at the location.
Since the Coney Island location is a franchise, none of the three Wahlberg brothers have been named as defendants in the suit, with damages being sought from The Other Guys who run the restaurant, Coney Burgers.
However, court papers claim that Donnie Wahlberg was told "there was a lot going on at the restaurant that he needed to know about," to which he responded "I know." If that's true, it would make him a real Masshole. Coney Burgers had no comment on the matter, while Wahlburgers itself told the News that "we've been working with Coney Burgers to better understand the circumstances and help bring this matter to resolution" and that they hope to bring Good Vibrations back to the restaurant soon.
[UPDATE]: A representative for Coney Burgers emailed the following statement to Gothamist: "As a franchisee, we work hard to uphold Wahlburgers’ values and brand culture. We’ve become aware of the dissatisfaction of some of our former employees and are now looking into the matter."
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coney island
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David Colon
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