Fast-food restaurant violated child labor laws, federal investigation finds

A federal investigation found that dozens of 14- and 15-year-old employees at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Troy worked more hours per week and worked later into the evening than allowed under federal law.

The U.S. Department of Labor assessed a penalty of $48,251 against the franchise at 4897 Rochester Road.

The restaurant violated the Fair Labor Standards Act for the working hours of 63 teens, ages 14 and 15, according to a release from the Department of Labor.

The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits minors that age from working later than 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day and past 7 p.m. the remainder of the year. They cannot work more than three hours on a school day, eight hours on a non-school day or more than 18 hours per week.

The law also prohibits minors from operating motor vehicles or forklifts or using other hazardous equipment, the release said.

“Far too often, we find teens working hours that are not allowed by the Fair Labor Standards Act,” said Department of Labor Wage and Hour District Director Timolin Mitchell in Detroit.

“Child labor laws were enacted nearly a century ago to protect children. Employers that hire teen labor must ensure they follow the law while allowing teens to earn valuable work experience.”

In February 2023, the department announced the creation of an Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation to better align federal efforts to protect children from illegal situations in the workplace, the release said.

In fiscal year 2023, department investigators identified child labor violations in 955 cases and assessed employers more than $8 million in penalties.

Locally, the operator of a Culvers restaurant in Wixom was assessed a $13,000 penalty last year after federal investigators said the employer allowed 18 teenagers, ages 14 and 15, to work hours that were prohibited under the law.

A report last month in the Washington Post found that the fast-food industry is fueling a surge in child labor violations across the country, especially at companies with franchised locations.

Since the labor shortages of the pandemic, fastfood companies have illegally scheduled thousands of teenagers to work late and long hours and to operate kitchen equipment that could be dangerous.

Child labor violations have more than tripled in the past 10 years, with violations in food service increasing almost sixfold, according to the Post’s analysis.

In the first nine months of 2023, the Department of Labor found more than 4,700 employees under 18 working in violation of federal child labor laws — more than three-quarters of those in food service, the newspaper said.

For more information about FLSA, visit https:// www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/ flsa.