News

Wendy's, Fazoli's franchisee fined $157k for child labor law violations

Photo: iStock

January 20, 2020

Wendy's and Fazoli's Louisville, Kentucky-based franchisee, Manna Inc., violated child labor mandates by allowing 14- and 15-year-old employees to both work at times not legally allowed and for more hours than law permits, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. As a result, the franchisee of 99 locations of those brands in nine states has been fined $157,114, a news release said. 

Investigators found 446 minors worked at legally prohibited times for employed individuals of their ages, including before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on school nights. The release said the division found that that group of minors also worked more than three hours on school days or more than eight hours on non-school days, all violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to the release. 

"Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health and wellbeing or educational opportunities," Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils said in the release. "We encourage all employers to review their employment obligations and to contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance."

WHD investigators found the violations at restaurant locations in Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Though Manna, Inc. is the company named in the DOL action, at the time of this writing, Wendy's had not responded to a request for further comment. Late Monday, Fazoli's said in a statement:

"After a thorough investigation, none of the alleged violations occurred at any Fazoli’s locations. Fazoli's has mechanisms in place to ensure restaurants operate in compliance with applicable employment laws."  

nor Fazoli's had responded to requests for comment on the action involving Manna, Inc.