Ex-employee sues Pennsauken food maker over pay issues

A former mechanic for J&J Snack Foods Corp., maker of SuperPretzel, Icee, and Luigi's Real Italian Ice, has sued the Pennsauken food manufacturer, saying J&J cheated him out of his pay and then retaliated against him for complaining.

Robert McMaster, 55, of Brookhaven, Delaware County, says in his federal suit, filed last week in Camden, that J&J routinely docked his pay for lunch even when he worked through his break.

The suit also alleges that J&J required him to clock out before he completed his final duty of the day, reporting any mechanical problems or issues to the person taking over his duties on the next shift.

The report added 10 to 15 unpaid minutes to his shift, the suit says.

"Our comment is that we have no comment," Dennis G. Moore, J&J's chief financial officer, said Wednesday.

McMaster worked at J&J's Bridgeport facility from June 25 until he was terminated Nov. 7. His termination, the suit says, stemmed from his complaints about the pay issues.

"This case is about J&J paying all the workers for all the time they worked," said McMaster's attorney, Justin L. Swidler, a partner with Swartz Swidler L.L.C. of Cherry Hill.

Swidler is seeking class-action status for the case.