Family Dollar Ordered To Pay $1.5M In Penalties For Not Giving Massachusetts Workers Meal Breaks

BOSTON (CBS) – Family Dollar denied more than 620 workers their meal breaks at 100 locations across Massachusetts, Attorney General Maura Healey said.

Healey's office fined the company $1.5 million in penalties for what it says were more than 3,900 of the state's meal break laws and failing to let employees who worked for more than six hours take a 30-minute break.

"Workers give us their time, energy, and efforts to keep businesses running and our economy afloat," said AG Healey. "These citations should send a message to all companies that they need to do right by their employees and provide meal breaks consistent with the law."

The Attorney General's Office received multiple complaints that employees did not get their breaks because of staffing shortages and that from 2018-2019 employees were required to remain at the store even when they punched out for meal breaks.

Family Dollar, a Virginia-based company, has more than 900 employees in Massachusetts.