“Over 300 Minors Employed Illegally in Franchise Restaurants Across Multiple States, Resulting in $212k Fine: US Department of Labor Report”

The US Department of Labor has also discovered that more than 305 young people have been employed in franchise restaurants in several states.

By Julien Henninot

Posted on 05/05/2023 at 17:48

It is a shocking discovery, made by the American labor inspectorate. In a statement released by the US Department of Labor this weekthe administration explains that it discovered “two 10-year-old workers at a Louisville McDonald’s restaurantin Kentucky, following an investigation into three franchisees in the state.

The two children were employed, without being paid, “sometimes until 2am“, in multiple positions, including the preparation and distribution of orders or the cleaning of the restaurant, also specifies the document. Besides, “one of the two children was allowed to operate a fryer, a task prohibited for workers under 16».

The presence of these two minors was not the only violation noted by the administration during this investigation among franchisees managing 62 McDonald’s restaurants in several states. 24 minors under the age of 16 workedmore than legally permitted hours“, at one of the franchisees with ten McDonald’s restaurants, and at another, 242 minors aged 14 to 16 were able to work “more than the authorized hours“, For example. Similarly, in the third, children were able to work “during school hours», a violation of the regulation.

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$212,754 fine

«These reports are unacceptable, deeply disturbing and go against the high expectations we have for the entire McDonald’s brand.“Reacted the boss of human resources and vice-president at McDonald’s, Tiffanie Boyd, on CNN. For his part, one of the franchisees told the American media that the two 10-year-old workers were the children of an employee who came to see their parent at his workplace, without having obtained the green light from management.

In total, the three franchisees have allowed 305 minors to work more than the number of hours authorized, or to perform tasks prohibited to young workers, summarizes the press release. The employers were also fined $212,754 for violating child labor laws.

In the United States, teenagers can work from the age of 14, although their duties are regulated by law. The federal authorities are trying to tighten the screw in the face of abuse: “We are seeing an increase in federal child labor violations, including allowing minors to use equipment or conduct types of work that endanger them or employ them for longer hours or later in the day than the law permits“, is indignant, in the press release, Karen Garnett-Civils, in charge of these problems in Louisville.