BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey announced Family Dollar has been cited $1.5 million for failing to provide appropriate meal breaks for employees.
The citations were for more than 3,900 violations of failing to provide employees who worked for more than six hours in one day at least 30 minutes for a meal break. The violations applied to 100 stores in the state.
According to Healey’s office, the AG’s Fair Labor Division began investigating Family Dollar after receiving multiple complaints that employees were not given proper meal breaks because of persistent staffing shortages.
Investigators were able to determine that from 2018 to 2019, the company routinely cut the necessary payroll hours, leaving stores under-staffed. This resulted in hundreds of employees being unable to leave their stores or take meal breaks. Employees were routinely required to remain on store premises, even when they were able to punch out for meal breaks.
Workers who believe an employer violated their rights can file a complain at on the AG’s website. For more information about wage and hour laws, workers may call the Office’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or visit its website.
