Former Dutchie’s employees say they took wage disputes to Ont. Ministry of Labour

Dozens of former workers have reached out to CTV News to share their experiences working at Dutchie’s Fresh Food Market. They accuse the Kitchener, Ont., grocer of not paying a few of their wages and described the lengths they had been prepared to go to get their cash.

The newest allegations come after 4 former Dutchie’s workers spoke publicly for the primary time final Thursday. CTV News spoke to greater than 10 different business house owners the next day who mentioned in addition they weren’t paid for among the companies they offered to Dutchie’s. Then, on Saturday, a dozen folks turned out for a rally outdoors the Gateway Park retailer demanding unpaid wages.

CTV News spoke in depth with two different former workers Monday. Both mentioned their Ministry of Labour circumstances towards Dutchie’s had been settled, however just one has been paid what they had been allegedly owed.

‘Determined to get what I was owed’

Aidan Grossi was nonetheless in highschool when he was employed by Dutchie’s in 2019. His first shift was on Canada Day and mentioned, at first, “it was really respectful and professional.”

That modified, he defined, roughly two to 3 weeks later, when he started to query Dutchie’s pay practices

“Their contract was really outdated. It was referencing minimum wage from back in 2012. Even though I was earning student wages at the time, it was still astronomically smaller than what I was legally entitled to,” he claimed. “I did bring that up to them at the time, as well as the fact that they weren’t giving me proper breaks.”

Grossi alleges workers in 2019 had been working from 1 p.m. till the doorways closed at 9 p.m., adopted by an extra 4 hours of labor to wash up the shop. He additionally had issues concerning the time period between the tip of 1 scheduled shift and the start of the subsequent day’s shift.

Even as a youngster, Grossi was conscious of worker rights. He mentioned he discovered by means of his highschool regulation class and fogeys, in addition to his personal analysis pushed by his experiences at Dutchie’s.

Grossi expressed his issues round breaks and allegedly advised administration that they weren’t in compliance with the Employment Standards Act.

“At that point, they were doing it begrudgingly and they were almost being a little demeaning towards myself when I did bring up the violations that they were doing in terms of the contract, the pay, the breaks,” he claimed.

Grossi was stunned by administration’s response.

“They were telling me how I lacked respect, for standing up for myself,” Grossi recalled.

Grossi was unable to recall the identify of the particular person he spoke to on the administration staff.

Then, he claimed, he began having issues with lacking paychecks.

“They did fire me,” Grossi defined. “The way that the whole firing process was was very unprofessional. They didn’t give me two weeks notice. They were just like, snap the fingers, you’re out, you’re gone. They literally threw me out of the store in front of a bunch of customers.”

The entire expertise left him feeling upset and embarrassed.

“After that, they started to withhold wages from me,” Grossi claimed.

He mentioned he was owed between $1,000 and $1,200, or roughly two to 3 weeks of wages.

“They were working me to the bone,” he claimed. “The fact that all of that work resulted in no pay, I was really upset and I was really determined to get what I was owed.”

Grossi determined to file a grievance with the Ministry of Labour. He was advised that his case can be reviewed together with info offered by Dutchie’s. The largest challenge, he mentioned, was extra time pay as the shop’s closing time wasn’t laid out in his contract or the schedule.

“That agent then came back and was siding with Dutchie’s when it came to the pay that I was going to be given,” he defined. “At the time I was like, there’s no way I’m going to receive that little from all the work that I put in. So I appealed it and [the case] went to another agent. He was a lot more understanding and willing to look at the details in depth and really hear me out as an applicant.”

Grossi mentioned a discover went out in late 2020 {that a} listening to had been set for early 2021.

“Before it even got to the new year, Dutchie’s came back with a final offer, which was everything that I was entitled to legally, and we settled at that amount,” he defined.

Grossi is aware of some might discover the method of getting their cash daunting.

“I’m not surprised that people are discouraged from filing in the first place and going through that process because it is a little challenging and it doesn’t really inspire them to go through it if it is going to take that long just to get their money, because a lot of these people who are filing, or who need to file, are not as financially stable as the average person.”

He sympathizes with different former workers.

“I was really sad for them,” Grossi advised CTV News. “The fact that they were going through something very similar to me and, thinking back to how I was feeling [at] that time, it’s really sad hearing that’s how he was continuing his business and that he was cheating more people, not just me.”

Grossi is now a scholar on the University of Waterloo. He mentioned his expertise at Dutchie’s performed an element in his choice to pursue political science.

“I like to fight for what’s right,” he defined.

‘Gave us the runaround’

Jacob Ketros additionally labored lengthy hours at Dutchie’s and claims he too wasn’t all the time paid.

“Whenever I’d ask, they kind of gave us the runaround,” he recalled. “They’d be like: ‘We’re looking into it.’”

After a month with out getting paid, Ketros had had sufficient.

“I was just like: ‘Hey, I need my money.’ And then finally I just stopped showing up,” he mentioned.

Ketros additionally reached out to the Ministry of Labour and, like Grossi, he received his declare.

According to paperwork offered to CTV News, Dutchie’s was advised to pay Ketros $14,601.39 in October 2022.

As for a way a lot he’s obtained from the grocery store, Ketros mentioned Monday: “Nothing. Zero.”

Ketros isn’t positive why the cash hasn’t been paid because the ministry issued the order.

“The $14,000 is a lot, but what would matter more is that this guy stops doing this to other people.”

Seeking solutions

CTV News contacted Dutchie’s Director Mike Renkema once more on Monday however couldn’t come to an settlement on the phrases of an interview.

CTV News additionally reached out to the Ministry of Labour for info on the claims filed towards Dutchie’s and specifics on Ketros’ case. A response was not obtained by our deadline.

– With reporting by Jeff Pickel