Worker sues Primo Brands, says boss axed him over burger run

Jonas was hired in June 2023 at $21.50 an hour. He says he worked the night shift, roughly 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., and over the next two years earned multiple raises, ending at $26.50 an hour plus differentials. The filing states he was never written up, warned, or suspended during his tenure. 

That changed on the evening of July 22, 2025. Jonas says his supervisor, Danny Thompson, told him to park his forklift and meet up front, where the Operations Manager, Dallas Premier, was waiting. According to the filing, Premier told him, “Let’s get straight to the point, I’m going to terminate you,” and accused him of leaving the premises without clocking out — a reference, Jonas says, to a break he took about ten days earlier to grab a hamburger and fries at the Manor House restaurant. Jonas says he asked to see the time-clock records, arguing he had clocked out as usual. He says none were produced. 

About a week later, Jonas says, a written Report of Termination followed, citing “gross misconduct of stealing time by leaving work without clocking out.” 

The part of the suit likely to resonate most with HR leaders is what comes next. Jonas points to three White coworkers at the same plant who, he says, were treated far more gently. One Packer was suspended — not fired — after alleged misconduct. Another worker who hit a pole with a forklift got a verbal warning. A fellow Palletizer Operator who struck an overhead line got the same. Jonas also alleges that while many of the line workers at the Lee facility are Black, nearly all of the managers, including his supervisor and the operations manager, are White. 

He is seeking back pay, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and a jury trial.