Boston-Area Dunkin' Operator and Two Staffing Firms Hit With $1.46M for Wage Theft and Misclassification

NewsData.io · United States · Sep 4, 2026

Massachusetts regulators fined Northern Management Group LLC and staffing firms D and J Services Group LLC and Prime Management Services Corp. a combined $1.46 million after finding they misclassified workers as temps or independent contractors and failed to pay wages on time. The state applied a joint-employer framework, holding both the franchise operator and the staffing agencies accountable for violations spanning August 2023 to August 2025, including unpaid travel time between locations. Regulators also cited violations of the Massachusetts Temporary Workers Right to Know Act, which requires staffing firms to provide written job and pay details before assignments begin. The case is part of a sustained enforcement pattern in Massachusetts targeting franchise-staffing arrangements that use layered structures to obscure employment obligations.