According to CNN, an investigation into child labor law violations in the Southeast region has uncovered troubling findings at fast food giant McDonald’s.
The US Department of Labor said on Tuesday that two 10-year-old children were found to be working at a Louisville, Kentucky, location, sometimes until 2 a.m. The agency also found that the three franchisees own more than 60 McDonald’s locations throughout Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, and
Ohio. They were found to have “employed 305 children to work more than the legally permitted hours and perform tasks prohibited by law for young workers,” the Labor Department said in a statement.“Investigators from the department’s Wage and Hour Division found two 10-year-old workers at a Louisville McDonald’s restaurant among many violations of federal labor laws committed by three Kentucky McDonald’s franchise operators,” the release said.
“Investigators
also determined two 10-year-old children were employed – but not paid – and sometimes worked as late as 2 a.m.” For their part, McDonald’s says the findings do not align with the brand’s culture. “These reports are unacceptable, deeply troubling and run afoul of the high expectations we have for the entire McDonald’s brand. […] We are committed to ensuring our franchisees have the resources they need to foster safe workplaces for all employees and maintain compliance with all labor laws,” Tiffanie Boyd, senior vice president and chief people officer at McDonald’s USA, told CNN.According to Franchisee Bauer Foods LLC, the two 10-year-old children were confirmed to be relatives of the night manager. They were said to be simply visiting and weren’t “approved by franchisee organization management to be in that part of the restaurant.” The three franchisees will hand over $212,754 in civil money penalties for the child labor violations, the Labor Department said.
“Too often, employers fail to follow the child labor laws that protect young workers,” said Karen Garnett-Civils, the agency’s wage and hour division district director, in a statement. “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.”
Agreed!