franchises had violations of labor laws that could be considered wage theft. according to the workers' attorneys these lawsuits could cover 30,000 workers. >> i have often been forced to work off the clock and after my shift ends at midnight for five to ten minutes, sometimes 15 to 20 minutes, doing cleanup and other basic job duties. it may not sound like a lot but when you're living on the edge like me, every penny counts. >> a statement saying, quote, mcdonald's and our independent owner/operators are committed to undertaking a comprehensive investigation of allegations. just as this new round of lawsuits kicked off, new york attorney general announced the results of another lawsuit his office spearheaded last year. the owner of seven new york city mcdonald's franchises agreed to pay more than 1,600 workers nearly half a million dollars to settle a claim he failed to pay his workers all the wages they were owed.