Dunkin' Threatens Franchises 'Sullying The Coffee Chain's' Reputation by Hiring Illegal Immigrants
Dunkin’ franchises in Delaware and Pennsylvania are being sued by their parent company because the franchises have not been using the required E-Verify system to ensure that the workers those stores hire are legally able to work in the United States.
The lawsuit targets nine different Dunkin’ locations, the site Restaurant Business said.
The Center for Immigration Studies reported that the suit said franchises were “sullying the coffee chain’s reputation … [when they] engaged in illegal hiring practices in breach of their contracts,” basing its comments on information in a subscription-only Law360 article.
You want to stop illegal immigration? THIS is how you stop illegal immigration.
Dunkin’ dumps store owners for hiring undocumented workers https://t.co/UAsuAsEbpL
— Merrie Soltis (@ConservaCatGal) July 2, 2019
The suits stated that in all cases, Dunkin’ reviewed the way in which the local restaurants documented that every worker hired was legally able to work in the U.S. The reviews took place between January 2017 and October 2018.
The lawsuit said the investigation found “pervasive noncompliance” with employment law.
Investigators found violations which led the parent company to terminate franchise agreements and then try to remove the franchise operators from the store locations.
The suit said there was “no employment documentation or incomplete documentation for a substantial portion of the employees’ files.”
E-Verify, set up by the federal government to verify an employee’s legal ability to work in the U.S., was either not used at all or used only when the franchise operator knew an investigation was under way.
Dunkin’ has said it will not comment on pending litigation. In May, Dunkin’ VP of Brand Stewardship Drayton Martin was reported as telling a conference that the company has no interest in becoming politically oriented, according to The Washington Times.
Dunkin’ Donuts rejects wokeness politics — “we are not Starbucks, we aren’t political.” https://t.co/DAG3TXyCxW
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 21, 2019
Dunkin’ has shown a willingness to sue franchises before on the issue of legal employment.
In September 2018, Dunkin went after five Delaware franchises after a review of employment records.
The E-Verify system, which began in 1996 during the Clinton administration and is scheduled to be phased out at the end of September, would be made permanent under a bill proposed by Sen. Mitt Romney, according to the Washington Examiner.
“Congress needs to act now to address our illegal immigration crisis by closing legal loopholes and removing the magnets — like illegal unemployment — that drive illegal immigration,” the Utah Republican said in a statement.
“My home state of Utah has already taken a step to reduce illegal employment by requiring employers to use E-Verify. I urge my colleagues to take action on this important legislation to make E-Verify permanent, and continue working on long term fixes to secure the border, update our asylum and trafficking laws, and institute mandatory E-Verify nationwide,” he said.
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