（Boston Orange 編譯）麻州總檢察長辦公室和線上亞洲超市 Weee! Logistics LLC， Weee! OD Foods LLC ，以及其總裁劉明（譯音， Min Liu）達成和解協議，將於今秋支付86.5 萬餘美元，以繳交罰款，補償160多名受影響員工。
麻州總檢察官Andrea Joy Campbell表示，當雇主非法錯誤分類員工，就會阻止他們獲得重要的員工保障，例如賺取和使用病假，以照顧自己及家人的權利。
這一和解案涉及Weee! 涉嫌錯誤的把送貨司機列為獨立承包商，因此剝奪了他們獲得最低工資、加班費以及賺取和使用病假等關鍵員工保障的權利，也違反了麻州的就業法。
麻州總檢察長辦公室收到華人前進會的投訴訊息後，查出在2021 年至 2024 年期間，約有160 多名Weee員工的職業種類被錯誤的列為獨立承包商，以至於他們的員工權益受損。達成和解協議後，Weee同意將麾下送貨司機重新歸類為僱員，並遵守所有相關州法。
麻州總檢察長辦公室強調，該辦公室致力保護所有工人的權利，不論其移民身份如何。此案由麻州總檢察官辦公室公平勞工組調查員Lili Wu承辦。
AG CAMPBELL SECURES OVER $865,000 SETTLEMENT WITH ONLINE SUPERMARKET FOR MISCLASSIFYING WORKERS AND VIOLATING SICK TIME LAW
Settlement With Self-Described “America’s Largest Online Asian Supermarket” Includes Restitution for Impacted Workers and Penalties
BOSTON – Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today announced that her office has reached a settlement with online grocery-delivery companies Weee! Logistics LLC and Weee! OD Foods LLC, and their President, Min Liu, (collectively, “Weee!”), resolving allegations that Weee! violated Massachusetts employment laws pertaining to employee classification and earned sick time. As part of the settlement, Weee! has agreed to pay over $865,000 in citations, including restitution for over 160 impacted workers and penalties.
“When employers illegally misclassify workers and prevent them from accessing crucial employee protections, such as the right to earn and use sick time to care for themselves and their families, vulnerable workers are unfairly harmed and exploited,” said AG Campbell. “My office will continue to enforce our laws to protect and empower workers, reminding employers that Massachusetts is serious about protecting workers’ rights.”
Weee! is an online-only supermarket, self-described as “America’s Largest Online Asian Supermarket,” and employs delivery drivers to complete online delivery services.
The AGO found that in violation of Massachusetts’ wage and hour laws, Weee! misclassified its delivery drivers as independent contractors, preventing drivers from obtaining employee-related legal protections, and failed to provide them paystubs regarding their paid wages. Under Massachusetts’ wage and hour laws, workers must be classified as employees, which grants them rights to minimum wage, overtime, and other protections, unless they meet certain criteria for independent contractor classification.
Additionally, the AGO alleged that in violation of the Earned Sick Time Law, Weee! failed to permit workers to earn and use sick time as legally required. Massachusetts’ Earned Sick Time Law provides workers the right to earn and use up to 40 hours of job-protected sick time per year and requires employers to notify workers of this right, including through notice of the employer’s sick time policy.
Under the settlement, Weee! has agreed to classify its drivers as employees and comply with all relevant Massachusetts laws.
The AGO began investigating this matter upon receiving a complaint referral from the Chinese Progressive Association.
“When Massachusetts passed the ABC test in 1990—and later strengthened it in 2004, it became one of the strongest laws in the nation. We're grateful that gig workers benefit from these protections. Many workers weren’t even aware their rights were being violated. We commend Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and her team for seeking justice and ensuring workers are fairly compensated,” said Yusin Mok, Lead Organizer at Chinese Progressive Association.
Many delivery drivers who worked for Weee! from 2021 to 2024 are entitled to payments from this settlement agreement. The AGO’s Fair Labor Division (FLD) has the list of drivers and amounts owed. Restitution checks will be sent to the affected drivers on this list in late fall of 2025. Delivery drivers who worked for Weee! from 2021 to 2024 can send an email to fldsettlement@mass.gov with their name, current address, and a current utility bill showing proof of address. Please reference Weee! settlement in the message. FLD will check our records and respond to each person over the coming months.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Tallulah Knopp, Assistant Attorney General Erin Staab, and Investigator Lili Wu of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, which is tasked with enforcing the state’s wage and hour, child labor, and other employment laws.
The AGO is committed to protecting the rights of all workers, including immigrant workers, who are disproportionately vulnerable to illegal employment practices, such as wage theft and other harms. The AGO encourages workers and employers to review the AGO’s Advisory on the Rights of Immigrant Workers, The Advisory affirms that all workers, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to employment protections, including the right to a fair wage, protection from retaliation, classification as an employee, and freedom from sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
In accordance with state and federal law, the AGO works to serve and protect all workers, without regard to immigration status, does not ask about workers’ immigration status, and does not voluntarily provide workers’ personal information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Workers in Massachusetts who believe their workplace rights have been violated are encouraged to file a complaint with the AGO’s Fair Labor Division at mass.gov/ago/fld. For more information about the state’s employment laws, workers may call the AGO’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or visit mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for information available in multiple languages.
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