A company owned by rapper Rick Ross' family has been fined for labor violations at five of its Wingstop locations in Mississippi, the U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday.
Boss Wings Enterprises LLC made employees pay for their uniforms, safety trainings, background checks and cash register shortages, causing some employees' hourly wages to fall below the $7.25 federal minimum wage, the Labor Department said.
The franchisee also violated child labor regulations when it allowed a 15-year-old to work past 10 p.m. several times in June 2021, flouting standards prohibiting 14- and 15-year-olds from working past 7 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day, the department said.
The Labor Department recovered $51,674 in back wages for 244 workers and $62,753 in civil money penalties from Boss Wings Enterprises LLC.
“Restaurant industry employees work hard, often for low wages, and many depend on every dollar earned to make ends meet,” said Audrey Hall, the Wage and Hour Division district director in Jackson, Mississippi. “The law prevents Boss Wing Enterprises LLC from shifting operating costs to workers by deducting the costs of uniforms, cash register shortages or training expenses, or to allow a worker’s pay to fall below the minimum wage rate.”
Ross, through Boss Wings Enterprises LLC, reportedly owned 10 Wingstop locations as of 2016. He said on Instagram last year that he had given his son one of the franchises for his 16th birthday.
Wingstop did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. The fast-food chain, based in Texas, has about 1,400 locations worldwide.
Neither Ross nor his sister, Tawanda Roberts, who is listed in public records as Boss Wings Enterprises LLC's CEO, responded to requests for comments.
On Tuesday, Ross tweeted: "Perfect day to boss up."
