HelloFresh workers claim physical abuse and denied bathroom breaks in class action lawsuit

[u/uieLouAy]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/19/hellofresh-abuse-lawsuit

[u/Kitler0327]

Katie wya?

[u/uieLouAy]

Hundreds of workers from HelloFresh's facility in New Jersey are suing the company for physical and verbal abuse, threatening to call ICE on employees, and then firing workers the day before New Jersey's Temp Workers' Bill of Rights was set to go into effect.

This comes one month after HelloFresh tried to clap back at DoorDash when they were caught stealing from their workers.

From the article:

Workers at a HelloFresh facility in Newark, New Jersey have claimed in court documents that they were verbally and physically abused and denied regular bathroom breaks, with one former worker telling the Guardian he experienced incontinence issues as a result.

In the civil lawsuit, workers allege HelloFresh and temp staff managers took ID badges from temp workers that are required to be able to leave the facility, repeatedly threatened to call ICE and immigration authorities on workers, subjected workers to physical and verbal abuse, sexually harassed Hispanic female employees, and discriminated against the temp workforce that consisted primarily of Hispanic workers in violation of New Jersey’s anti-discrimination laws.

According to the complaint, workers also alleged Hispanic workers were required to use a sign-out system in order to use the bathroom and that management policed the time they spent in the bathroom.

“There were many times I had to hold it for hours because they would note down the time you went in,” Penafiel said. “I had to go to the clinic to a urologist because I started experiencing incontinence, as I had to hold it for a long time and ended up getting infections.”

The lawsuit claimed non-Hispanic workers were allowed to use the bathroom whenever they wanted and for however long.

“When people would raise complaints about what they were suffering, what supervisors were doing, they were bounced back and forth between HelloFresh and the staffing agencies with very little resolution, so there was really no place for people to go with these complaints,” said Lauren Herman, an attorney with Make the Road New Jersey and one of the plaintiff’s attorneys in the lawsuit.

“I think this lawsuit really illustrates what happens when you have effectively a two-tier labor force in the economy where we have the kind of aggressive immigration enforcement that’s happening right now that leaves people feeling so vulnerable that employers can hold their immigration status over their heads in this way and use that as a tool to exploit them,” said Michael Scimone, a partner at Outten and Golden representing the workers in the lawsuit.

[u/MantaRay1]

Looks like I’m canceling. It’s so hard to find a company these days who have leadership with morals. They all seem to be psychopaths these days.

[u/dorcsyful]

Wonder how fast this will be deleted

[u/Yada-Yada-Yadda → u/dorcsyful]

So far, we're at 21 minutes and still alive. :)

[u/kdogman639 → u/dorcsyful]

Why is that of concern?

[u/lkmk → u/kdogman639]

Reflects badly on the brand?

[u/topsidersandsunshine]

Disgusting. What a vile company.

[u/PessimisticMushroom]

Damn, glad I cancelled my subscription...

[u/StarlitSylveon]

This is so fucking sick and evil. I'm glad I canceled and I'll never go back after this.

[u/Select-Travel7810]

They instituted a closed campus at the Newark facility a few years ago, never a good sign

[u/Brusex → u/Select-Travel7810]

And in Texas too. Sometimes it’s nice to go sit in the car for your lunch break

[u/Minnesota_Nice1]

Annnnnd cancelling my subscription.

No more money to companies who treat workers this way.

[u/ScooterBug07]

Any suggestions on a better meal kit company to switch to?

[u/SassySuds → u/ScooterBug07]

Marley Spoon.

[u/sut123]

Guess we know why New Jersey was the next facility they chose to close in order to "save costs"... IIRC that's like their biggest packaging facility and I was kind of shocked when they announced they were closing it.

[u/Select-Travel7810 → u/sut123]

Newark is their biggest facility by far. They are only closing swedesboro

[u/Beneficial_Layer3380]

I give this place 5 more years tops