Staffing

North Carolina McDonald's franchisee fined for child labor violations

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July 23, 2020

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division's investigation into a dozen North Carolina McDonald's locations found the operators violated child labor laws when they hired 35 workers, ages 14 and 15 years old, and allowed them to work outside hours mandated for their age group, according to Fox Business.

U.S. law mandates children of that age work no more than three hours on school days and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the days between June 1 and Labor Day.

Mt. Airy Partners received and paid a $17,586 penalty for violating the child labor laws, according to the report. The Labor Department said Mt. Airy Partners violated the Fair Labor Standard Act's mandates that they show proof of age for most of the company's employees who are minors.

"Child labor laws exist to strike a balance between providing a meaningful work experience for young people and keeping them safe on the job so that the work does not jeopardize their health and wellbeing or educational opportunities," Richard Blaylock, Wage and Hour Division district director, said in a statement, according to the report. "Employers must not allow 14 and 15-year-olds to work beyond legally permitted hours."