Report says young fast-food workers ran unsafe equipment

Employees worked more hours than allowed, officials say

A Wendy’s franchisee with locations in the Lehigh Valley endangered younger employees by allowing them to perform certain tasks and permitted them to work more hours than the law allows, the U.S. Department of Labor said.

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found violations at stores in Allentown, Easton, Pottstown and Whitehall operated by Philly LIV Bacon LLC and three other corporations.

The violations include allowing 15-year-old workers to manually raise and lower fry baskets, the department said in a news release. By law, 14- and 15-year-old workers may only operate deep fryers that raise and lower baskets automatically.

Investigators said the employer permitted 14and 15-year-olds to work for more than three hours on a school day, more than eight hours on a non-school day and more than 18 hours during a school week, all violations of federal child labor standards.

Philly LIV Bacon LLC also failed to maintain proper records, the release said, adding that the company paid more than $15,000 in civil penalties and has taken steps to correct violations and ensure compliance at all of its restaurants in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

The steps include training supervisors and managers on child labor requirements; providing child labor publications to all current and new workers under age 18; establishing an internal number that allows workers to report child labor violations anonymously; and providing workers under the age of 16 with a different color nametag than those worn by older workers.

The companies will also post information about child labor hour limitations in a conspicuous place, put signs on equipment that 14and 15-year-old workers aren’t allowed to use, and post a “STOP” sticker on all equipment the department considers hazardous for use by minors.

“Employing young workers offers valuable work experience and that experience should never come at the expense of their safety or education,” said Alfonso Gristina, the division district director in Wilkes-Barre. “The actions taken by Philly LIV Bacon LLC will help ensure minors they employ gain the benefits of real-life work experience without putting them at risk.”

From fiscal year 20172021, the department identified child labor violations in more than 4,000 cases, finding more than 13,000 minor-aged workers employed in violation.

“Employers who fail to ensure workers are safe and paid their full wages and benefits will find it increasingly more difficult to recruit and retain the people they need to be successful,” Gristina said. “Employers who hire minors must know the regulations that govern this practice.”

More information about young workers’ rights and other laws is available through the division’s toll-free help line, 866-4US-WAGE (4879243).