Tim Hortons Heirs Cut Paid Breaks and Benefits After Minimum Wage Hike

[nucklehead]

Quote

Employees at an Ontario Tim Hortons owned by the children of the chain's founders say they have been told to sign a document acknowledging they are losing paid breaks, paid benefits, and other incentives as a result of the province's minimum wage hike.

"I feel that we are getting the raw end of the stick," said one front line employee who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of losing their job. 

The franchise is located in Cobourg, Ont., about 115 kilometres east of Toronto. The owners are Ron Joyce Jr. and Jeri-Lynn Horton-Joyce, the son and daughter of the chain's co-founders, Ron Joyce, and the late Tim Horton. Employees say they are married.

In the document, copies of which were obtained by CBC News, Ron Joyce Jr. Enterprises wrote:

"Breaks will no longer be paid. A 9 hour shift will be paid for 8 hours and 20 minutes."

"These changes are due to the increase of wages to $14.00 minimum wage on January 1, 2018, then $15.00 per hour on January 1, 2019, as well as the lack of assistance and financial help from our Head Office and from the Government."

The letter is signed "Sincerely, Jeri, Ron and Lisa."

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/tim-hortons-heirs-cut-paid-breaks-and-worker-benefits-after-minimum-wage-hike-employees-say/ar-BBHPOds?li=AAadgLE&ocid=spartanntp

 

[Lancaster]

It's funny how they emphasize that they are the children of Tim Hortons as if they have some special authority or something.  I think they just happens to be franchise owners.  

[kingofsurrey]

Timmies coffee tastes like  ???? 

[D.B Cooper]

Why is this even a story?  

Most jobs don't pay lunch breaks.  

Most you are there for 8.5 and get paid for 8.  

Media just trying to stir stuff up. 

[Chicken.]

Their employees are allowed to quit if they dont like it and want to go make the same minimum wage elsewhere, shouldn't be too difficult to find a job...

[DADDYROCK]

JUST SAY FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT,

THAT US WORKERS WERE TO JUST WALK OFF OUR JOBS WE HAVE FOR A WEEK OR TWO BECAUSE OF A-HOLE RICH PEOPLE LIKE THESE.

THEN JUST SHOW UP TO PEACEFULLY PROTEST INSTEAD.

 

TOO MUCH GREED,SOME PEOPLE HAVE IT ALL AND IT'S STILL NOT ENOUGH.

MOST ARE THE RELIGIOUS TYPES THAT ONLY USE RELIGION TO HIDE BEHIND,JUST LOOK TO THE STATES TO SEE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT FOLKS.

 

These huge corporations come into Canada from the greedy U.S.OF A for the tax breaks and then proceed to act like they own everything and everyone.More GREED at its finest.they must be REPUBLICANS OR JUST AS BAD (SPOILED RICH KIDS). YOU KNOW TRUST FUND BABIES!

 

Look at the stuff SEARS is doing to Workers in Canada.(no more pensions but the corporate elite got theirs first. SHAMEFUL.

ALSO, shame on our own government for allowing this to happen to their citizens,must be alot of payola(payoffs under the table) happening.Once again,

SHAMEFUL

[kingofsurrey]

3 minutes ago, Chicken. said:

Their employees are allowed to quit if they dont like it and want to go make the same minimum wage elsewhere, shouldn't be too difficult to find a job...

Yes, i am not sure with so many job openings ( min wages jobs  )  right now how  Tims can be reducing workers  wages / breaks  / benefits .

 

Pretty sure they will lose most of their decent workers to their competitors...  Seems like bad business stategy to me.

 

Tims coffee is worse than the 20 dollar coffee machine  / and  dollar store ground  coffee       our office makes for us at work ....

[-AJ-]

Just the sort of things businesses have to do to keep up profits and keep investors happy when minimum wages rise.

[Cramarossa]

27 minutes ago, Lancaster said:

It's funny how they emphasize that they are the children of Tim Hortons as if they have some special authority or something.  I think they just happens to be franchise owners.  

Yes I was confused at first because I thought it was being implied that they owned the entire company rather than one specific store. A casual reading of this might make one think it's a Tims-wide change. 

 

I worked at many coffee shops in high school and college and never had paid breaks. I only got paid breaks once I got a salary job after college. 

 

ETA: How much was the minimum wage before? Does the increase in pay balance it with the unpaid breaks so that an employee essentially makes the same amount in a shift as before? 

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

So I guess Burger King will be next...

[goalie13]

6 minutes ago, Cramarossa said:

ETA: How much was the minimum wage before? Does the increase in pay balance it with the unpaid breaks so that an employee essentially makes the same amount in a shift as before? 

Ontario's minimum wage just jumped from $11.60 to $14.00 an hour as of January 1st.  It's due to go up another dollar next January 1st.

 

It's been a long time since I ran a restaurant, but I don't think those measures won't cover the increase.  They will probably have to find other ways to save money and/or jack up the prices (if they haven't already).

[kingofsurrey]

Just now, goalie13 said:

Ontario's minimum wage just jumped from $11.60 to $14.00 an hour as of January 1st.  It's due to go up another dollar next January 1st.

 

It's been a long time since I ran a restaurant, but I don't think those measures won't cover the increase.  They will probably have to find other ways to save money and/or jack up the prices (if they haven't already).

If people need to pay an extra 25 cents for their coffee so that the person working there gets a living wage then so be it.

 

Greed is really killing our country.   Take a look around town at all the people really hurting ....  If i have to pay a bit more for my coffee or burger....  no big deal.

[Fanuck]

Jobs in that particular service sector are a dime a dozen - if employees don't like the terms of employment they are free to seek employment elsewhere,  no?  Media trying to make the employer seem like bad guys  (I'm certainly not saying they aren't) but I'm pretty sure if it wasn't legal to do this their lawyer would've advised them not to do this.

 

If people don't support this practice there's a pretty easy way to show the business that sentiment. 

[Cramarossa]

2 minutes ago, goalie13 said:

Ontario's minimum wage just jumped from $11.60 to $14.00 an hour as of January 1st.  It's due to go up another dollar next January 1st.

 

It's been a long time since I ran a restaurant, but I don't think those measures won't cover the increase.  They will probably have to find other ways to save money and/or jack up the prices (if they haven't already).

I have never run a business but yikes, that's a huge jump so soon for a big staff. I can see why it would be necessary to cut costs asap. 

[Toni Zamboni]

macdonalds been kickin their butts.

cant believe people like the taste of tim's coffee.

[kingofsurrey]

2 minutes ago, Toni Zamboni said:

macdonalds been kickin their butts.

cant believe people like the taste of tim's coffee.

McDonalds has great coffee. Agreed. 

 

My daughter worked at McD's as a 15 yr old and i encouraged it as i think some of these places do a decent job of teaching young people how to work.

 

 

[LordCanuck]

this is another non story, move along folks

[kingofsurrey]

11 minutes ago, Cramarossa said:

I have never run a business but yikes, that's a huge jump so soon for a big staff. I can see why it would be necessary to cut costs asap. 

 

Any business that relies on exploiting young people,  those with poor language skills,  foreign worker brought in with no rights....   hard up seniors    is a business that maybe is not viable and should close.  As customers switch to competitors that are better managed..... these better run business will in turn expand and create more positions. 

[luckylager]

I worked over a dozen different "food and beverage" jobs back in the day. I think one, maybe two places actually paid you for breaks. 

You know, the time you're not actually WORKING.

 

There's no legal requirement to pay people for time they're not working.

[Fanuck]

7 minutes ago, Cramarossa said:

I have never run a business but yikes, that's a huge jump so soon for a big staff. I can see why it would be necessary to cut costs asap. 

True,  it's a substantial jump in min-wage - but it didn't come about overnight,  businesses both large and small scale had notice and  time to adjust their financial structure and short/longer term business plans before this took effect.  This business in particular likely had this up their sleeves for some time but withheld it from the employees for obvious reasons,  now both the company and employees have to live with the results/fallout whatever it may be?