Tacoma Chick-Fil-A employee alleges local owner broke wage laws in class-action filing
A Tacoma Chick-Fil-A employee filed a class-action lawsuit this week against the local owner of restaurants in Tacoma and Fircrest, alleging more than 40 employees have not been fairly compensated for the past three years.
The lawsuit seeks unpaid wages, plus double that amount in punitive damages, from Schneller Enterprises LLC, the franchisee for Chick-Fil-A locations near the Tacoma Mall and Tacoma Community College. Lynnae Schneller was named the mall franchisee in 2015 and opened the Fircrest location in 2019.
Attorney Jim Pizl of Puyallup’s Entente Law filed the lawsuit on behalf of David Hogan, an hourly employee since at least November 2019, in Pierce County Superior Court on Thursday, according to court documents.
The lawsuit claims the working conditions at the Tacoma Chick-Fil-A locations prevented employees from taking required breaks and did not compensate them for missed 10-minute rest or 30-minute meal periods. Accounting for missed breaks, some employees’ work hours would have totaled more than 40 in a week but did not receive overtime pay.
Hogan also alleges Schneller Enterprises did not accrue required sick time for employees or compensate them for absences due to illness or taking care of sick family members.
Pizl and Schneller did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a mid-September Facebook post, Schneller advertised part-time positions to cover the lunch rush at the Tacoma Chick-Fil-A locations.
“Besides being super fun, and receiving a free meal at work, I also offer 50% off all the time for employees and their family,” Schneller wrote. “In the past, we’ve had parents tell us that their kids eat so much Chick-fil-A, that this perk is better than the paycheck!”
