Massachusetts is cracking down on corporate wrongdoing! On Wednesday, the state’s Attorney General’s Office issued more than $6.2 million in citations against GoBrands Inc. and GB Logistics LLC — doing business as Gopuff — as well as company president Yakir Gola and treasurer Rafael Illishayev. The allegations? A string of labor violations, including misclassifying employees as independent contractors, not providing suitable paystubs, and failing to maintain an earned sick leave policy.
Gopuff, which delivers groceries, alcohol and home essential products to customers’ homes across the US and Europe, was founded in 2013 and has since grown to employ 968 people. But it’s not the only one paying the price. “When employers misclassify their workers, they deprive them of basic employee protections and benefits,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, “and create an unfair playing field for other law-abiding companies.”
Everyone should be given a fair shake and Massachusetts is ensuring that Gopuff, Gola, and Illishayev are held accountable for their labor violations. It’s an important reminder that workplace violations shouldn’t be tolerated
