Workers at a Pizza Hut franchise in Los Angeles’s Historic Filipinotown are staging a three-day strike to protest alleged wage theft by the franchise owner.
With support from a new union for California fast-food workers, six current and former employees have filed a complaint with the state labor commissioner’s office, claiming that the management has engaged in various forms of wage theft, including skimming hours from paychecks, denying overtime pay, and failing to provide sick leave, amounting to some $81,443 in back pay and penalties.
The complaint also accuses store management of implementing “abusive and chaotic scheduling practices,” which involve frequent changes to workers’ schedules throughout the week. Additionally, workers have reportedly been sent home at the start of their shifts without advance notice or compensation.
The strike highlights broader issues of wage theft in low-wage industries, with advocates calling for improved work standards and stable scheduling.
The newly formed California Fast Food Workers Union is leading the push for better conditions and plans to negotiate as a unified sector within the state’s Fast Food Council.
Shwetha Ganesh, the union spokesperson, pointed to a report published by the union on Wednesday finding that 88% of California fast-food workers do not know their rights on the job and broadly lack information about essential benefits and programs.
The report, co-authored by the Step Forward Foundation, an immigrant advocacy group providing free legal services, also found that 73% of California fast-food workers do not know how much additional pay they are entitled to if they are forced to work through a meal break or rest breaks.
The union has called on local officials in Los Angeles and San Jose to draft and approve “fast-food fair work ordinances” securing paid time off provisions, predictive scheduling tools and mandatory “know your rights” training for workers.
The strike also raises concerns about retaliation against workers who speak out, with some reporting intimidation and reduced hours. Despite the small number of workers involved, the strike underscores pervasive issues in the restaurant industry and the need for greater worker protections.
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