A McDonald’s made a pair of 10-year-olds work without pay and sometimes until 2 a.m., federal authorities say

• A McDonald’s made 10-year-olds work without pay until 2 a.m., according to the Labor Department.

• The franchisee told Insider that the children were visiting their parent, who worked as a night manager.

• The children worked at the register and in the drive-thru, and one child was allowed to use a fryer.

A McDonald’s in Kentucky was fined for hiring two 10-year-olds unpaid and sometimes making them work until 2 a.m., the Labor Department said.

The child couple were employed by Bauer Food LLC, an operator of 10 Louisville-based McDonald’s restaurants, the department said in a statement Tuesday.

The two children would prepare and distribute food orders, clean the restaurant, work at the drive-thru counter and operate a register, the labor department said.

Investigators also found that one of the 10-year-olds was permitted to work in a fryer, a “task prohibited for workers under the age of 16”, according to the statement.

Bauer Food told Insider that the two children were visiting their relative — a night manager at one of its restaurants — and had not been approved by management to be in that part of the restaurant.

Any work done by the children was under the direction and in the presence of their parents, according to Bauer Food. The operator said child labor was never authorized by management or franchise management.

Bauer Food added that it has made sure its employees are now clear about the company’s policy regarding children visiting their parent or guardian at work.

“Under no circumstances should a 10-year-old be working in a fast food kitchen around hot grills, ovens and fryers,” said Karen Garnett-Civils, district wage and hour manager in Louisville, Ky. . in the ministry’s statement.

The Labor Department also found that Bauer Food allowed 22 other teenagers under the age of 16 to work more than the legally permitted number of hours. Under federal labor law, 14- and 15-year-olds can work up to 40 hours during a non-school week and 18 hours during a school week.

The story continues

Bauer Food was fined $39,711, the department said. Two other McDonald’s operators – Archways Richmond and Bell Restaurant Group – have also been fined for allowing minors to work beyond legally permitted hours.

“These reports are unacceptable, deeply disturbing, and go against the high expectations we have for the entire McDonald’s brand,” Tiffanie Boyd, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at McDonald’s USA, told Insider. in a press release. “We do not lose the important responsibility we bear to ensure a positive and safe experience for all under the Arches.”

“As a mother whose teenage son proudly worked at our local McDonald’s, I feel that on a very personal level,” Boyd added. “We are committed to ensuring that our franchisees have the resources they need to foster safe workplaces for all employees and maintain compliance with all labor laws.”

Meanwhile, the Labor Department is seeing an increase in federal child labor violations, Garnett-Civils said.

In June 2022, a 15-year-old McDonald’s worker in Morristown suffered severe oil burns while using a deep fryer, according to the Labor Department.

“One child injured on the job is one too many. Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the work does not compromise their health, well-being or education,” Garnett-Civils said.

Read the original Insider article