HOTLINE ESTABLISHED FOR MARKET BASKET EMPLOYEES

HOTLINE ESTABLISHED FOR MARKET BASKET EMPLOYEES

            BOSTON – Due to the evolving circumstances and with a significant uptick in calls from Market Basket employees over the past 24 hours, Attorney General Martha Coakley today opened a dedicated hotline for Market Basket employees.

            The hotline is staffed by the AG’s Fair Labor Division and can be reached by calling (617) 963-2400.

            The Attorney General’s office received more than 100 calls over the last 24 hours, and expects more in the coming days. Last week, Attorney General Coakley and Attorney General Joseph Foster of New Hampshire issued aletter to Market Basket’s leadership reminding them of the laws surrounding worker terminations.

            “Market Basket is a major employer in Massachusetts, and we remain hopeful that the parties will come together to reach a positive resolution and restore the vibrancy of the business,” AG Coakley. “With the rapidly evolving circumstances, we have established this hotline to answer questions directly from workers and make sure their rights are being protected.”

            The AG’s office is responsible for protecting the rights of workers under chapters 149 and 151 of the Massachusetts General Laws (the “Massachusetts Wage and Hour Law”). Those laws include the following requirements:

• Any Massachusetts worker whose employment is terminated must be paid all wages that are due on the final day of employment, no matter when it falls in the pay period;
• Wages include compensation for hours worked, tips, earned vacation pay, holiday pay, and determined and due commissions; and
• No employee shall be penalized by an employer because he or she has made a complaint or otherwise sought to enforce rights under the wage and hour laws.

            Workers who believe any of the above legal requirements have been violated should file a formal complaint with the AG’s Fair Labor Division. Workers can call the dedicated hotline at (617) 963-2400, or fill out the appropriate complaint form here.

            The AG’s Office is responsible for enforcing the laws regulating the payment of wages, meal breaks, overtime and misclassification of employees in the Commonwealth. More information about the state’s wage and hour laws is also available in multiple languages at the AG’s Workplace Rights website: www.massworkrights.com.