Three McDonald’s franchisees in Kentucky have been ordered to pay $212,544 in fines after an investigation found that they had illegally employed 305 minors, some as young as 10 years old.
An investigation by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor found that a Louisville McDonalds had two 10-year-old workers, a release by the Department of Labor said. The restaurant also had a number of other federal labor law violations. This investigation was part of a larger effort to combat child labor abuses. Violations included underage children working late at night and around dangerous equipment, exceeding legal permitted work hours and taking part in tasks that were not suitable for their age. Three franchises, Bauer Food LLC, Archways Richwood LLC and Bell Restaurant Group I LLC operate 62 McDonald’s restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio.
“Too often, employers fail to follow the child labor laws that protect young workers,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils in Louisville, Kentucky. “Under no circumstances should there ever be a 10-year-old child working in a fast-food kitchen around hot grills, ovens and deep fryers.”
Bauer Food LLC allowed 24 minors under 16 years old to work beyond the legal hours, including two 10-year-olds who were unpaid and sometimes worked as late as 2 a.m. They performed tasks such as preparing food, cleaning, and operating the register and a deep fryer, which is prohibited for workers under 16. The Wage and Hour division fined the company $39,711.
Archways Richwood LLC employed 242 minors aged 14 and 15 who exceeded permitted hours. It was fined $143,566.
Bell Restaurant Group I LLC, part of Brdancat Management Inc., allowed 39 workers between 14 and 15 years old to work outside the legal limits and during school hours. It was assessed $29,267 in civil penalties. "Investigators also found the employer systemically failed to pay workers overtime wages they were due and as a result, the division recovered $14,730 in back wages and liquidated damages for 58 workers," the federal news release said.
Federal child labor regulations limit the types of jobs minors can work and for how long. For 14- and 15-year-olds, work must be performed outside of school hours; no more than three hours on a school day and no more than eight hours on a non-school day; no more than 18 hours during a school week and no more than 40 hours in a non-school week; and no earlier than 7 a.m. and no later than 7 p.m. except between June 1 and Labor Day, when the evening is extended to 9 p.m. Violations of these regulations, including hazardous work and excessive hours, have been increasing, the DOL says.
“An employer who hires young workers must know the rules. An employer, parent or young worker with questions can contact us for help understanding their obligations and rights under the law,” the release said. “One child injured at work is too many,” Garnett-Civils said.
Anyone with questions may call the agency’s toll-free helpline confidentially at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. The division also recently published Seven Child Labor Best Practices for Employers.
