Even though it’s a fairly big fast food brand, Jimmy John’s has had its share of controversies. For instance, the company was forced to cough up $1.8 million a few years ago in a settlement after concerns were brought up by several employees who cited the Fair Labor Standards Act. The workers said that they weren’t given overtime pay by the company (via Restaurant Dive).
The restaurant was also called out for forcing its employees to sign “a non-competition clause” that prevented its workers from joining the brand’s competitors for a period of two years after leaving Jimmy John’s, per The Huffington Post. This rule was applicable to the delivery workers and sandwich artists and was highly restrictive because it stated that former employees couldn’t work for any company that was getting 10 percent of its revenue from selling sandwiches.
Now, Jimmy John’s is receiving backlash once again. This time around, Twitter users are upset about a controversial sign that was spotted outside a Jimmy John’s location.
A Twitter user posted a picture of a sign that was spotted outside a Jimmy John’s location. It mentioned that the restaurant was briefly shut “due to labor shortage” and that they were working on hiring more team members. However, a different sign next to the original sheet of paper had a different story to tell. It claimed that the owners mistreated their employees and never offered any kind of support. It read, “All employees (including management) were students and did a [great] job of keeping the store running with no help from the owners.” It added that their business had slowed down only because of “lazy, careless ownership.”
Enraged Twitter users stood up for the employees: One of the most-liked tweets read, “Shoutout to all the workers refusing to take sh***y treatment, not to mention lies, from the bosses and owners.” It added that fast food employees need unions “to take ownership and control of our workplaces.” Another Twitter user mentioned that they were offered $8 instead of $15, despite the fact that the job advertisement mentioned the latter pay rate. They wrote that they said that they “didn’t want the job anymore” which upset the hiring manager so much that she “kicked [them] out.” A different user claimed to have worked at Jimmy John’s and alleged that they treat their employees badly, pay minimum wage, and don’t offer them any benefits. It’s clear some Twitter users are upset.
