Former Dutchie's employees say they took wage disputes to Ont. Ministry of Labour

Dozens of former employees have reached out to CTV News to share their experiences working at Dutchie’s Fresh Food Market. They accuse the Kitchener, Ont., grocer of not paying some of their wages and described the lengths they were willing to go to get their money.

The latest allegations come after four former Dutchie’s employees spoke publicly for the first time last Thursday. CTV News spoke to more than 10 other business owners the following day who said they also weren’t paid for some of the services they provided to Dutchie’s. Then, on Saturday, a dozen people turned out for a rally outside the Gateway Park store demanding unpaid wages.

CTV News spoke in depth with two other former employees Monday. Both said their Ministry of Labour cases against Dutchie’s were settled, but only one has been paid what they were allegedly owed.

‘Determined to get what I was owed’

Aidan Grossi was still in high school when he was hired by Dutchie’s in 2019. His first shift was on Canada Day and said, at first, “it was really respectful and professional.”

That changed, he explained, approximately two to three weeks later, when he began to question Dutchie’s pay practices

“Their contract was really outdated. It was referencing minimum wage from back in 2012. Even though I was earning student wages at the time, it was still astronomically smaller than what I was legally entitled to,” he claimed. “I did bring that up to them at the time, as well as the fact that they weren’t giving me proper breaks.”

Grossi alleges employees in 2019 were working from 1 p.m. until the doors closed at 9 p.m., followed by an additional four hours of work to clean up the store. He also had concerns about the period of time between the end of one scheduled shift and the beginning of the next day’s shift.

Even as a teenager, Grossi was aware of employee rights. He said he learned through his high school law class and parents, as well as his own research driven by his experiences at Dutchie’s.

Grossi expressed his concerns around breaks and allegedly told management that they were not in compliance with the Employment Standards Act.

“At that point, they were doing it begrudgingly and they were almost being a little demeaning towards myself when I did bring up the violations that they were doing in terms of the contract, the pay, the breaks,” he claimed.

Grossi was surprised by management’s response.

“They were telling me how I lacked respect, for standing up for myself,” Grossi recalled.

Grossi was unable to recall the name of the person he spoke to on the management team.

Then, he claimed, he started having problems with missing paychecks.

“They did fire me,” Grossi explained. “The way that the whole firing process was [handled was] very unprofessional. They didn’t give me two weeks notice. They were just like, snap the fingers, you’re out, you’re gone. They literally threw me out of the store in front of a bunch of customers.”

The whole experience left him feeling upset and embarrassed.

“After that, they started to withhold wages from me,” Grossi claimed.

He said he was owed between $1,000 and $1,200, or approximately two to three weeks of wages.

“They were working me to the bone,” he claimed. “The fact that all of that work resulted in no pay, I was really upset and I was really determined to get what I was owed.”

Grossi decided to file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour. He was told that his case would be reviewed along with information provided by Dutchie’s. The biggest issue, he said, was overtime pay as the store’s closing time wasn’t specified in his contract or the schedule.

“That agent then came back and was siding with Dutchie’s when it came to the pay that I was going to be given,” he explained. “At the time I was like, there’s no way I’m going to receive that little from all the work that I put in. So I appealed it and [the case] went to another agent. He was a lot more understanding and willing to look at the details in depth and really hear me out as an applicant.”

Grossi said a notice went out in late 2020 that a hearing had been set for early 2021.

“Before it even got to the new year, Dutchie’s came back with a final offer, which was everything that I was entitled to legally, and we settled at that amount,” he explained.

Grossi knows some may find the process of getting their money daunting.

“I’m not surprised that people are discouraged from filing in the first place and going through that process because it is a little challenging and it doesn’t really inspire them to go through it if it is going to take that long just to get their money, because a lot of these people who are filing, or who need to file, are not as financially stable as the average person.”

He sympathizes with other former employees.

“I was really sad for them,” Grossi told CTV News. “The fact that they were going through something very similar to me and, thinking back to how I was feeling [at] that time, it’s really sad hearing that’s how he was continuing his business and that he was cheating more people, not just me.”

Grossi is now a student at the University of Waterloo. He said his experience at Dutchie’s played a part in his decision to pursue political science.

“I like to fight for what’s right,” he explained.

‘Gave us the runaround’

Jacob Ketros also worked long hours at Dutchie’s and claims he too wasn’t always paid.

“Whenever I’d ask, they kind of gave us the runaround,” he recalled. “They’d be like: ‘We’re looking into it.’”

After a month without getting paid, Ketros had had enough.

“I was just like: ‘Hey, I need my money.’ And then finally I just stopped showing up,” he said.

Ketros also reached out to the Ministry of Labour and, like Grossi, he won his claim.

According to documents provided to CTV News, Dutchie’s was told to pay Ketros $14,601.39 in October 2022.

As for how much he’s received from the grocer, Ketros said Monday: “Nothing. Zero.”

Ketros isn’t sure why the money hasn’t been paid since the ministry issued the order.

“The $14,000 is a lot, but what would matter more is that this guy stops doing this to other people.”

Seeking answers

CTV News contacted Dutchie’s Director Mike Renkema again on Monday but could not come to an agreement on the terms of an interview.

CTV News also reached out to the Ministry of Labour for information on the claims filed against Dutchie’s and specifics on Ketros’ case. A response was not received by our deadline.

- With reporting by Jeff Pickel