Food service workers from Connecticut’s interstate travel plazas rallied in Milford on Thursday. They want McDonalds and Subway franchises to pay workers back pay and offer sick leave.
Service plaza workers have complained about a lack of paid sick time, proper training and protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. Vincent Oliver works at a travel plaza on Interstate 95 in Fairfield.
“The companies that work in the rest stop, they don’t give sick time. And you’re not getting vacation time. So for you to take time off of work, you’re basically just denying yourself a way to take care of your family,” Oliver said.
State laws require companies that contract with the state to pay a certain wage. The union that represents service workers says some travel plaza franchisees owe thousands in back pay to workers paid under the state minimum.
Last month, a New Canaan-based McDonalds franchisee paid out nearly $900,000 in back wages to travel plaza workers in Fairfield and Darien after intervention from the state Department of Labor.
