CAUTIONARY TALE EPISODE 71 PROTECT THE KIDS McDonald’s Franchisees Cited for Child Labor Violations « Law Offices of Timothy Bowles | Top Employment Law Firm in Los Angeles

CAUTIONARY TALE EPISODE 71
PROTECT THE KIDS
McDonald’s Franchisees Cited for Child Labor Violations

The federal Department of Labor has cited five McDonald’s franchisees for child labor violations involving close to 400 children at 78 locations in Louisiana, TexasKentucky, Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio, including two ten-year-olds – legally not permitted to work – working as late as 2 A.M.

The federal government and many states have specific laws governing ages, hours and types of work permitted for minors. The laws often prohibit children under age 14 from working at most occupations.  They restrict 14- and 15-year-olds from working more than certain specified hours to avoid interfering with their schooling and prohibit work in most hazardous occupations.  16- and 17-year-olds are still restricted as to hours of work and jobs performed, but to a lesser degree.

In the McDonald’s cases, children under 16 were operating prohibited manual deep fryers, an oven, and trash compactors and working more hours than permitted.

Wage and Hour Division Dallas Regional Administrator Betty Campbell stated: “Employers must never jeopardize the safety and well-being of young workers or interfere with their education.  While learning new skills in the workforce is an important part of growing up, an employer’s first obligation is to make sure minor-aged children are protected from potential workplace hazards.”

She continued: “Employers are strongly encouraged to avoid violations and their potentially costly consequences by using the many child labor compliance resources we offer or by contacting their local Wage and Hour Division office for guidance.”

Examples of two states with restrictions on minors working are California and Florida.  In addition to ages, hours and types of work restrictions, California requires employers to obtain work permits and Florida requires age certifications, in each case, issued by the minor’s school.

Take Aways:

Before hiring minors, employers must become educated on the federal and state restrictions for minor employment and comply with those in all minor hiring decisions.  Employers must comply with whichever law, state or federal, is stricter on a given point.

For further information, please contact Tim BowlesCindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.

See also:

Helena Kobrin
August 11, 2023

Contact Us


If you are an employer facing possible litigation, or have an employee issue on which you need immediate guidance, call us to set up a consultation, or submit your message.

NOTE: Use of this website does not make one a client of the Law Offices of Timothy Bowles (“Firm” or “Bowles Law”). Establishing an attorney-client relationship and the confidentiality that comes with it depends on the Firm’s prior confirmation that no factor, including any conflict of interest (for example, our representation of another party adverse to you), exists to prevent that establishment. If you have confidential information that you would like to provide a Bowles Law attorney, please communicate directly to one of our attorneys, in person, by telephone, email, fax or other written means. Do not use this website to offer or communicate confidential information about any legal matter.

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.