In February 2024, The City reported undocumented Ecuadorian women workers working inside a HotHead Grabba tobacco factory in Brooklyn filed complaints to state labour authorities, alleging they worked 13 hour days without rest for below the minimum wage. The workers also say they experienced health problems, including headaches and nausea, amid a lack of safety equipment. They experienced wage theft and routinely worked up to 84 hours a week.

The company did not respond to journalists requests for comment at the time of writing. A later message from HotHead Grabba's Instagram account denied the allegations.

A later article released in April 2024 by The City reported two additional workers at another HotHead Grabba factory in Queens also experienced abusive conditions and have filed wage theft complaints. Journalists did not received a response from HotHead Grabba.